Scientists design AI viruses unknown in nature spark medical hope and biosecurity alarm

For the first time, scientists have used artificial intelligence to design and synthesize complete viral genomes that do not exist in nature. It comes as a watershed moment in synthetic biology that promises to revolutionise the fight against drug-resistant infections while triggering urgent warnings about biosafety and biosecurity.

In a landmark study published on Thursday (August 6) in the peer-reviewed journal Science, researchers from Stanford University and the Arc Institute in California demonstrated that generative AI models can write coherent,