LONDON - Artificial intelligence has been used to design completely new viruses that were successfully created and shown to replicate in laboratory experiments, according to researchers in the United States.
The breakthrough marks the first reported instance of AI being used to design complete viral genomes capable of functioning inside living cells.
Researchers from Stanford University used AI models known as Evo1 and Evo2, which were trained on genetic sequences from viruses, bacteria, plants and humans.
The models were used to design a type of virus known as a bacteriophage, which infects specific types of bacteria rather than humans.
The researchers selected 302 of the most promising AI-generated designs for laboratory testing. Of these, 16 successfully demonstrated the ability to infect and kill E. coli bacteria.
Stanford assistant professor Brian Hie described the development as a significant advance in the complexity of biological systems that can be designed using generative AI.
He explained that, unlike conventional AI systems that predict sequences of words, the models used in the research predict biological sequences and functions.
The researchers said the findings could eventually contribute to the development of new treatments for bacterial infections, particularly those caused by bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotics.
The successful laboratory experiments also demonstrate the growing capabilities of AI in the field of synthetic biology, where scientists design or modify biological systems beyond what occurs naturally.
However, scientists have raised concerns about the potential risks associated with increasingly powerful AI systems capable of designing novel biological organisms.
In a commentary accompanying the study in the journal Science, Dr Thomas Inglesby and Dr Moritz Hanke of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security warned that the findings raise urgent biosafety and biosecurity questions.
Researchers stressed that the viruses created in the study were designed to infect bacteria and pose no threat to humans. However, the ability to use AI to generate novel biological systems has prompted renewed debate about safeguards needed to prevent potential misuse of the technology.
Source: BBC