How a researcher uses Codex and ChatGPT to search for new antimicrobial molecules

Drug-resistant microbes, including bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses, pose a significant global threat, with approximately five million deaths in 2021 linked to bacterial antimicrobial resistance. This annual toll is projected to double by 2050. The process of discovering new antimicrobial molecules can take years, but researchers are now leveraging AI, specifically tools like Codex and ChatGPT, to accelerate the early stages of this critical discovery process. This integration of AI into scientific research is seen as a continuation of a long-standing tradition of using tools to understand the world.

This report details how a specific researcher uses OpenAI's Codex and ChatGPT, unlike general accounts of AI in drug discovery, to accelerate antimicrobial molecule identification.