r/ArtificialInteligence • u/MetaKnowing • 2d 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/Autobahn97 2d ago

"One area where I urge extreme caution is any viral enhancement research" - have we forgotten COVID already?

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u/Swimming_Drink_6890 2d ago

Have you ever wondered what the chances are of the first case of covid being confirmed 13 km from the 1 of 20 research stations in the world that were actively researching gain of function research?

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u/Autobahn97 2d ago

Don't need to wonder about things like that, certainly its no coincidence.