AlphaFold 3: Impact and Applications

The provided text offers a comprehensive analysis of AlphaFold 3, a groundbreaking AI model developed by Google DeepMind and Isomorphic Labs, which significantly advances computational structural biology. It details the model's architectural innovations, particularly its generative diffusion network, allowing it to predict the 3D structures and interactions of a wide array of biomolecules—including proteins, DNA, RNA, and small molecules—surpassing the protein-centric capabilities of its predecessor, AlphaFold 2. The sources highlight AlphaFold 3's superior accuracy compared to existing methods, especially in drug discovery, and explore its transformative applications across medicine, agriculture, and biomaterials. However, they also critically examine its limitations, such as its inability to model molecular dynamics and potential "hallucinations," emphasizing the continued need for experimental validation and addressing the controversial balance between commercial interests and open science.