Advances in AI and omics enable the creation of AI virtual cells (AIVCs)—multi-scale, multimodal neural network models that simulate molecules, cells, and tissues across diverse states. This vision outlines their design and collaborative development, promising to transform biological research through high-fidelity simulations, accelerating discoveries, and fostering interdisciplinary open science collaborations.

Nature, Published online: 02 August 2023; doi:10.1038/s41586-023-06221-2The advances in artificial intelligence over the past decade are examined, with a discussion on how artificial intelligence systems can aid the scientific process and the central issues that remain despite advances.