But now some researchers are using AI to take new steps towards the goal of a “virtual cell.” Google’s DeepMind is working on such a project, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) has made virtual cells a major focus in their Biohub research network, says Theo Karaletsos, senior director of AI at CZI. There is even a new prize, set up by the Arc Institute, for virtual-cell-style models. The goal of all these endeavors is to predict how both healthy and diseased cells work, in so much detail that it’s possible to speed up the development of drugs and accelerate scientific discoveries. Virtual cells might even streamline basic research, some think, moving biologists from the lab bench to the keyboard.