10 AI Applications Shaping the Future

More than 350 million tonnes of plastic waste are generated annually. But AI-designed enzymes can "un-bake the cake--turn [plastic] back into the chemical compounds that are used to make it--unlock[ing] infinite recycling applications for all the materials that go to landfill or incineration today," says Jacob Nathan founder and CEO of London-based Epoch Biodesign. It has designed enzymes for the three major plastic groups using machine learning, which could help break down not just textiles, but packaging, and more. The startup, which spun out of Nathan's high school project in 2019 and has since raised 18.3 million, will complete its first production-scale facility later this year, which is expected to be capable of processing 150 tons of waste annually, Nathan says. AI tools that help diagnose strokes, cancers, and other medical conditions are becoming a fixture in healthcare systems around the world.