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

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.

The achievement could open new possibilities in medical research, particularly in the search for treatments for antibiotic-resistant infections. But it also marks a significant escalation in what AI systems can design, moving beyond individual genes and proteins to complete genetic systems capable of functioning inside living cells.