Now Reading: AI used to create 16 new viruses, aiding fight against superbugs
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AI used to create 16 new viruses, aiding fight against superbugs
AI used to create 16 new viruses, aiding fight against superbugs
Scientists from Stanford University and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have used AI to create 16 new bacteriophages, viruses that kill bacteria, that do not exist in nature. The study,…
The Story in Brief
Scientists from Stanford University and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have used AI to create 16 new bacteriophages, viruses that kill bacteria, that do not exist in nature. The study, published in the journal Science, is the first to show that AI genome models Evo 1 and Evo 2 can design functional viruses. The phages successfully infected drug-resistant E. coli bacteria in lab tests.
The breakthrough raises hopes for fighting antibiotic resistance by allowing custom-made viruses to target superbugs while sparing good bacteria. But biosecurity experts warn that the same technology, if misused, could eventually engineer harmful pathogens. Researchers stress that human viruses are far more complex and current AI systems are not capable of creating them. Only a small fraction of AI-generated designs worked, highlighting the need for trial and safety safeguards.
The Indian Opinion
The temptation is to cry 'Pandora's box' every time AI touches biology. But today's breakthrough is a phage, not a plague, bacteria-killers, not human pathogens. The real test is not what Stanford built but what regulations cannot keep up with. A single AI model trained on DNA could one day design a toxin as easily as a cure. The question nobody is asking concretely: who will vet the synthesis orders before the virus ever reaches a lab?
Source: timesnownews.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
