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Scientists Built the First Working Viruses Designed by AI
Artificial intelligence has been used to design fully functional viruses for the first time, a scientific milestone that researchers say
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Artificial intelligence has been used to design fully functional viruses for the first time, a scientific milestone that researchers say could accelerate new medical treatments.
The study, published Thursday in the journal Science, described how researchers at Stanford University and the Arc Institute used genome language models called Evo1 and Evo2 to generate complete viral genomes.
The AI systems were trained on trillions of genetic sequences from viruses, bacteria, plants and humans to predict the “language” of DNA.
During the tests, researchers focused on the bacteriophage Phi X-174, a well-studied virus that infects only E. coli, and trained the AI model using its genome along with those of related viruses.
According to the researchers, the AI generated about 700,000 candidate viral genomes, 285 of which were synthesized as DNA molecules. 16 successfully produced viable viruses when introduced into bacteria.
The researchers said the AI-designed viruses showed potential in overcoming host resistance, suggesting the approach could help develop future treatments for drug-resistant infections, including tuberculosis and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
“This is a next step in the complexity that’s designable by generative AI. This is the first time generative AI has been used to design a complete genome, it’s something that can replicate and have other functions inside cells… this was new territory for us,” Brian Hie, an assistant professor at Stanford University and one of the study’s authors, told the BBC.
Researchers said the ability to rapidly design viral genomes could transform phage therapy, an emerging treatment that uses bacteriophages to target antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The technology could also advance gene therapies and expand biotechnology research by allowing scientists to create customized viruses for specific medical applications.
While the viruses created in the study are harmless to humans, experts warned that increasingly powerful AI systems could eventually lower the barriers to designing dangerous pathogens, underscoring the need for stronger governance.
The study’s authors said the work raises “important biosafety, biocontainment and biosecurity considerations” and urged scientists designing whole genomes to “consult both safety and security professionals throughout the project.”
In an accompanying commentary, Prof. Tom Inglesby and Dr. Moritz Hanke of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security wrote: “Although this is promising for life sciences applications, it also raises urgent biosafety and biosecurity questions. The ability to compose viral genomes using generative AI now exists; the governance to safely steer it does not.”
Hanke also warned that oversight has failed to keep pace with the technology’s rapid development.
“There’s just a huge disconnect,” he said, referring to the gap between advances in AI-enabled biology and the creation of safeguards to prevent misuse.
