Stanford AI model Evo designs 16 novel viruses, raising bioweapon concerns

Published Aug 6, 07:41 PM UTC

Scientists at Stanford University trained an OpenAI generative model called Evo on millions of genomes to design fully functional viral genomes from scratch. After synthesizing the AI-designed DNA in the lab, 16 of the new phages successfully infected E. coli bacteria, displaying sequence patterns not found in nature. The study, published in Science, excluded human pathogen data, so the viruses cannot infect people. However, biosecurity experts warn this demonstrates AI's capability to invent dangerous bioweapons, calling for strict regulations. Critics argue creating human-impacting bioweapons would be far more difficult, and simple data restrictions could mitigate risks. The research also holds promise for developing treatments against antibiotic-resistant superbugs.