Daphne Koller

One of the most oft-dreamed applications of artificial intelligence is using it to pioneer new screenings, treatments, and interventions for diseases. This is precisely what Daphne Koller is trying to do at Insitro, where she’s founder and CEO.

Insitro uses machine learning tools to scan genetic samples from people with diseases like ALS, cancer, and tuberous sclerosis. It then tries to identify causal mechanisms that human researchers may have missed. Koller describes it as a collaborative environment, where people with backgrounds in fields like machine learning, metabolic disease research, and statistical genetics often work together.

From the outside, Koller’s path may not look like a straight one: she was a faculty member of Stanford’s computer science department and co-founded the online learning company Coursera in 2012, before founding Insitro in 2018. 

“I've had this increasing sense of urgency to make an actual direct impact in the world,” Koller says. While observing the beginning of exponential growth in AI capabilities in 2016, she felt an urge to help unlock its real-world potential.

“You could use [AI] for things like making a better sales chat bot—and I'm not trying to dismiss that, but I think you can also come up with more aspirational use cases for this incredible technology,” she says. 

Insitro’s research into ​​nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, Koller says, has advanced to animal trials. The company also plans to apply for a clinical trial for a human drug in the coming months. Six years in, Koller is excited by Insitro’s progress, but says it’s crucial not to play into the AI-hype cycle that’s so common in the tech world.

“What we're doing is really hard—intervening in human biology in a way that is both safe and efficacious,” Koller says. “So it's important to not make extravagant promises that are just not the right ones for this space.”