Artificial intelligence in the discovery and modification of biological elements in medicinal plants

Active ingredients extracted from medicinal plants are important natural sources in the field of pharmaceutical and industrial products. However, the low abundance and quality of these compounds have consistently posed a significant barrier to the full utilization of these ingredients. The discovery of enzymes in related pathways, enzyme activity modification, and pathway optimization are key to solving this problem. The emergence of large-scale multi-omics data has provided new opportunities to enhance this progress. But a new big challenge in analyzing the massive amounts of biological data lies before us. Artificial intelligence (AI) is state of the art for its process in big data and pattern recognition that has already had a revolutionary impact on biological fields. Here, we summarize recent advancements in pathway analysis and research ideas in AI-mediated discovery and modification of biological elements. Future directions and challenges for applying AI in precision medicinal plant breeding, and the biosynthesis of optimized, stable, and cost-effective natural products are also discussed.