AI Used to Create Virus: Scientists Warn of Biosecurity Threats, Biological Weapons and Pandemics Using Artificial Intelligence
Scientists have used AI to design functional viruses from scratch, successfully targeting antibiotic-resistant bacteria. According to a Times of India report, the breakthrough highlights both medical potential and urgent regulatory gaps regarding the digital creation of biological agents.
Researchers have successfully used artificial intelligence to design entirely novel viruses that do not exist in nature, resulting in 16 functional bacterial killers. Published in the journal Science by a team from Stanford University and the Arc Institute, the breakthrough marks the first time an AI model has written a complete instruction manual for a living organism rather than isolated genetic fragments.
As per a report by Times of India, the engineered viruses exclusively target bacteria and pose no threat to humans, animals, or plants. However, the milestone has immediately reignited global debates regarding biosecurity, with experts warning that software capable of generating viral genomes has outpaced existing regulatory frameworks. Nandan Nilekani Warns AI Layoffs Are Inevitable, Says Applied AI Is India's Biggest Opportunity.
How AI Generates Functional DNA Sequences?
The underlying technology relies on advanced generative models known as Evo 1 and Evo 2, which function similarly to text-based large language models. While a chatbot predicts the next word in a sentence, the Evo models predict the next chemical letter in a DNA strand using the standard four-letter genetic alphabet.
After training on millions of natural genomes with a specific focus on bacteriophage families, the system generated hundreds of thousands of potential viral designs. Researchers selected approximately 300 candidates, had their genetic sequences synthesized in a laboratory, and introduced them to bacteria, which successfully read the code and assembled active viral particles.
Experimental Results and Efficacy Against Superbugs
Laboratory tests confirmed that the generated viruses were fully viable, with several multiplying faster than their natural counterparts. Notably, a mixture of these AI-designed viruses successfully eliminated strains of E. coli that had developed resistance to natural viral treatments. OpenAI Smart Speaker Likely Launch in 2027; Know Expected Price.
This capability suggests that researchers may soon be able to engineer biological countermeasures faster than pathogens can naturally mutate. Nonetheless, the open-source availability of models like Evo 2 has raised concerns among scientists and policy analysts regarding potential dual-use risks and the absence of binding international rules governing computational biology.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 07, 2026 02:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
