Big Technology Podcast Google Research Head Yossi Mathias: AI For Cancer Research, Quantum's Progress, Researchers' Future
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Oct 27, 2025 
Yossi Matias, head of Google Research, dives into the groundbreaking intersection of AI and cancer treatment. He reveals how large language models helped generate a cancer hypothesis validated in living cells, showcasing AI's immense potential in healthcare. Matias also discusses quantum breakthroughs, like a staggering 13,000× result, and the transformative power of quantum on materials and AI. The conversation covers the delicate balance between innovative research and product demands, emphasizing that AI will enhance, not replace, human researchers in their quest for knowledge.
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LLMs Accelerate Biomedical Hypothesis Generation
- Google used foundation models with cell data to generate testable cancer hypotheses that validated in living cells.
- Yossi Matias frames this as an early step showing generative AI can accelerate biomedical discovery.
Measured Milestones Make Quantum Progress Real
- Google published a Nature paper claiming the first verifiable practical quantum advantage on a specific algorithm.
- Matias says steady, measurable milestones make practical quantum computing plausibly impactful within about five years.
The Magic Cycle: Research To Product And Back
- Matias describes a 'magic cycle' where research is motivated by real problems and then applied back into products.
- He emphasizes the same research teams often carry work through publication to product integration and the next questions.