Could AI Kill Superbugs? Company Says AI-Designed Phages Given to First Patient, but Outcome Remains Unknown

Radical Numerics claims first use of AI-designed viruses in a patient with drug-resistant E. coli; the outcome is undisclosed and experts urge caution (for illustration purposes only) (Credit: U.S. Air Force AFRL by Jeremy R Dunn/Wikimedia Commons)

Radical Numerics says an AI-designed phage treatment was administered to one patient under a compassionate-use pathway authorised by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Reports say that the patient had an E. coli infection that resisted antibiotics and available natural phages.

The start-up Radical Numerics reported the treatment in a technical report published on its website. The company has not disclosed the patient's clinical outcome. Scientists also caution that it remains unclear whether AI-designed viruses can reliably treat dangerous infections in humans.