Two startups harnessing AI to facilitate drug development -- insitro and Exscientia -- announced large funding raises this week, nabbing $143 million and $60 million, respectively. Here's a snapshot of how each startup is using AI to improve the drug discovery process: We expect pharma companies to increasingly eye tie ups with AI-focused startups as they race to develop treatments for the coronavirus -- but drug makers may not see a quick return on their investments. The coronavirus pandemic has sparked a great deal of activity among pharmaceutical companiesas they race to release a coronavirus vaccine. And we've already seen AI firms leverage their drug discovery platforms to uncover therapies to help accelerate treatment efforts. Although VCs' investments in nonessential tech services may drop off amid the pandemic-induced recession, we think that startups leveraging AI to rapidly analyze and sift through clinical data will continue to attract attention from investors -- especially since a coronavirus vaccine has yet to reach the public: AI platforms like the ones used by insitro and Exscientia could help pharma companies speed up the drug development process by better determining and analyzing patterns in clinical data.