First AI to Design Brand New Viruses Leads Scientists to Warn of 'Urgent Biosafety' Concerns

A scientist in a lab coat uses gloves to handle samples and equipment on a wooden table in a laboratory. Test tubes and beakers are present (Credit: Shixart1985, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons)

Artificial intelligence has been used to design complete viral genomes that function and replicate in a laboratory, in what researchers describe as a first for generative AI. The 16 novel viruses were designed to infect bacteria rather than humans, but the breakthrough has also prompted warnings about urgent biosafety and biosecurity risks.

BREAKING: Gates Foundation Funds First-Ever Creation of 16 Synthetic Viruses Using AI

For the first time ever, mad scientists used AI models to design entire viral genomes, physically manufacture them, and turn them into 16 new functional viruses capable of replicating.

Project… pic.twitter.com/4ZZR4hk8ts

— Nicolas Hulscher, MPH (@NicHulscher) August 7, 2026