Convergence of biological intelligence and artificial intelligence (AI) can drive a paradigm shift in medicine, enabling breakthroughs in predictive healthcare, regenerative science and lifespan management, said Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, chairperson, Biocon.
"Biology on its own was limited in generating deeper insights, but AI tools are opening immeasurable opportunities to understand living systems," Mazumdar-Shaw said while speaking at the AI Impact Summit being held in New Delhi from February 16 to 20, 2026.
She noted that biological systems function like distributed data centres, processing information with minimal energy compared to gigawatt-powered AI systems. Biology has a lot to teach AI in terms of how to do it with less energy, how to do it rapidly, and how to multiplex multimodal data very quickly.
The Biocon chairperson described reprogramming cells - such as converting malignant cancer cells into non-malignant ones - as the 'holy grail' of medicine. AI could accelerate regenerative science and help shift healthcare from hospital-centric models to predictive and preventive community care.
Highlighting the importance of generational learning embedded in DNA, she cited examples such as migratory birds with navigational intelligence. "Without AI, you cannot have deep insights into biology. The future will be defined by this convergence," she noted.
On data sharing, she pointed out that reluctance to share information globally has created silos, but India's open digital public infrastructure offers a unique advantage.
"India is uniquely positioned with its open networks. If we can keep generating data and reduce the cost of inference through economies of scale, then you have a winning formula," she said.
Further the Biocon chief said the convergence of AI and biology will be a powerful transformative process, with India well-placed to lead this global shift. |