AI generates synthetic viruses not present in nature for the first time

US researchers have successfully created 16 synthetic viruses using artificial intelligence, marking a significant advancement in synthetic genomics. By utilizing a naturally occurring bacteriophage as a template, the team generated thousands of viral genomes, demonstrating that AI can produce viable viruses more effective against E. coli than their natural counterparts. While this breakthrough offers potential for targeted therapies against antibiotic-resistant infections, it also raises biosecurity concerns regarding the misuse of such technology.

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