AI Genome Models Move From Proteins to Designing New Viruses

Large genome models, previously used to design functional proteins and gene structures, have now been applied to generate genomes of viruses that infect bacteria. The resulting viruses are closely related to an existing virus but contain distinct features that would be difficult to evolve naturally. Researchers at Stanford University created the viruses and note the work is not science fiction, though they urge early consideration of the risks if similar AI is later used to design viruses targeting vertebrates.