Posted Aug 7, 2026 at 10:14 AM UTCJExternal LinkAI is now designing brand new biological viruses.A new study published in the journal Science used genome language models to produce viruses we’ve never seen before in nature. The resulting bacteriophages pose no threat to humans. The research simultaneously raises hope for medical advances, while stoking fear that AI could enable the creation of new diseases and biological weapons.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Jess Weatherbed
AI is now designing brand new biological viruses.
A new study published in the journal Science used genome language models to produce viruses we’ve never seen before in nature. The resulting bacteriophages pose no threat to humans. The research simultaneously raises hope for medical advances, while stoking fear that AI could enable the creation of new diseases and biological weapons. [Link: This A.I. Just Created Viruses Not Found in Nature | https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/06/science/ai-viruses-bacteria-arc.html?unlocked_article_code=1.3VA.u8aT.vCeLPF02XbEp&smid=nytcore-ios-share | The New York Times]
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