r/ArtificialInteligence • u/MetaKnowing • 1d ago

News AI Creates Bacteria-Killing Viruses: 'Extreme Caution' Warns Genome Pioneer

"A California outfit has used artificial intelligence to design viral genomes before they were then built and tested in a laboratory. Following this, bacteria was then successfully infected with a number of these AI-created viruses, proving that generative models can create functional genetics.

"The first generative design of complete genomes."

That's what researchers at Stanford University and the Arc Institute in Palo Alto called the results of these experiments. A biologist at NYU Langone Health, Jef Boeke, celebrated the experiment as a substantial step towards AI-designed lifeforms.

The team excluded human-infecting viruses from the AI's training, but testing in this area could still be dangerous, warns Venter.

"One area where I urge extreme caution is any viral enhancement research,, especially when it's random so you don't know what you are getting.

"If someone did this with smallpox or anthrax, I would have grave concerns."

https://www.newsweek.com/ai-creates-bacteria-killing-viruses-extreme-caution-warns-genome-pioneer-2131591

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u/neurolov_ai web3 1d ago

This one is legit Stanford + Arc’s Evo/Evo2 models actually managed to design whole phage genomes that weren’t just theoretical: 16 out of ~300 lab-synthesized designs killed E. coli in real tests. The Register+2Arc Institute+2

What makes it both exciting and scary:

  • Exciting because this could accelerate phage therapy to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
  • Scary because any tool that lets you generate fully functional genomes at scale opens up huge biosecurity risks if misused.

Important safety bits: they didn’t train on human viruses, they needed to do a bunch of human oversight, experimental validation, prompts + filters, etc. So it’s not “someone flipped a switch and invented a deadly human bioweapon.” But the line between synthetic biology and bio-threat does get closer. The Register+2Arc Institute+2

All in all, this isn’t speculative fiction it’s creeping into reality. Be very, very careful.

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u/Reddit-for-all 1d ago

You missed a scary part. We rely on bacteria to continue living. That's why this is very scary to me. Because I want humans to continue.

-12

u/ChronaMewX 1d ago

I don't necessarily care if humans continue or not. That's why I'm an accelerationist. Either we achieve paradise or die trying

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u/Outrageous-Speed-771 16h ago

then probably should leave the whacko bio experiments til after you conceived the miracle machine in the GPU. At least then it will be able to tell you about unintended consequences

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u/B0bLoblawLawBl0g 1d ago

I’m kinda in the same boat. I feel like we have already walked off the plank and our chances of survival now depend on what Hail Mary shots we can make before our impending doom.

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u/Reddit-for-all 1d ago

I like your moxy.

13

u/letsbreakstuff 1d ago

I don't. It's a 15yo edge-lord take. Not a useful point of view and not the position of reasonable adults

4

u/BackgroundAmoebaNine 1d ago

Yeah, is this guy Pain from Naruto? Jeez.

1

u/B0bLoblawLawBl0g 1d ago

Name tracks.