AI used to create viruses not found in nature for first time
Researchers at Stanford and the Broad Institute have successfully used AI to generate 16 viable synthetic viruses. While the study suggests potential breakthroughs in phage therapy to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria, it also raises concerns about the risks of using AI to create biological agents.
Why it matters
This represents a significant milestone in synthetic biology, demonstrating how AI can accelerate the design of complex genomes, which carries both medical promise and dual-use security risks.
US researchers say they created 16 viruses using AI, prompting hopes for medical advances and concerns about misuse.
x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info A scientist uses a microscope in a laboratory of the Gorgas Institute in Panama City, Panama, on May 25, 2020 [Luis Acosta/AFP] By John Power and Erin Hale Published On 7 Aug 2026 7 Aug 2026 US researchers have announced the creation of new viruses using artificial intelligence, a scientific first that raises hopes for advances in medical treatments while also stoking anxiety about the dangers of the frontier technology.
In findings published in the journal Science, researchers at Stanford University and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard said they used a naturally occurring phage – a type of virus that infects bacteria – as a template to generate thousands of genomes with AI.
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