- Curius AI pioneers Bio-AI for personalized medicine, aiming to reduce drug development costs and animal testing.
- Ofir Zigelman analyzes the 'Silicon Age,' where AI and computing power reshape global geopolitics and warfare.
- The Atlas Prize highlights Israeli startups and youth driving world-changing technological advancements.
The latest 'Entrepreneurs - Atlas Prize' program brought together leading Israeli minds to dissect how artificial intelligence is not just optimizing business, but fundamentally altering human health, global power dynamics, and even the nature of conflict.
Dr. Tzach Ben-Haim, a serial entrepreneur and CEO of Curius AI, unveiled a revolutionary approach to drug development. His company combines miniaturized human organs-on-chip with advanced AI to create 'Bio-AI,' a system capable of learning from the body's internal responses. This innovation directly addresses the pharmaceutical industry's colossal challenge: 90% of drugs fail clinical trials, costing an average of $2.6 billion per drug. Curius AI's technology has already demonstrated its ability to predict drug failures months before clinical trials, offering a path to personalized medicine, reduced animal and human testing, and a focus on extending 'Health Span'—the duration of healthy life—rather than just 'Life Span.'
Shifting gears to global implications, Ofir Zigelman, an AI researcher at Cambridge University and former Israeli intelligence officer, described our current era as the 'Silicon Age.' He argues that access to computing power and AI infrastructure is rapidly becoming more crucial for national power and diplomatic influence than traditional metrics like territory or military size. Zigelman highlighted the massive investments, projected at $3-8 trillion by 2030, in AI and energy infrastructure, leading to a concentration of power among a few nations and corporations. He detailed new models of 'digital sovereignty,' citing initiatives like the US's Project Stargate and Saudi Arabia's national AI company, Humane, which forge unprecedented partnerships between states and tech giants.
The discussion further explored the geopolitical AI race, particularly between China and the United States. Zigelman noted China's rapid advancements in open AI models and robotics, signaling a potential third revolution in warfare with autonomous systems replacing human soldiers on the battlefield. While acknowledging the US's continued lead in closed AI models and talent attraction, he underscored the urgent need for international regimes to manage autonomous deterrence and prevent the proliferation of advanced AI to non-state actors. The session concluded with a powerful call for long-term strategic thinking from leaders, emphasizing that short-sighted decisions are the most common and detrimental errors in navigating this rapidly evolving technological landscape.
The program, hosted by Natalie Rotem, also featured insights from Atlas Junior participants Daniel Golan and Gefen Karai, underscoring the Atlas Prize's commitment to nurturing the next generation of Israeli innovators. The Atlas Prize, an annual award for Israeli startups demonstrating exceptional value, continues to champion groundbreaking technologies across health, fintech, and cyber, symbolizing Israel's pivotal role in shaping global technological progress.
“It is very possible that historians in the future will look at our period and call it the Silicon Age. Computing power for countries will be more important than territory or army size.”
- Natalie Rotem, Program Host
