Stanford builds the first AI-designed viruses, and biosecurity experts sound the alarm

Stanford researchers used genome language models Evo1 and Evo2, trained on genetic data from 2 million bacteriophages, to design functioning viral genomes from scratch. The viruses were synthesized in the lab, and a cocktail of them killed E. coli strains resistant to natural phages. The results appear in Science. The authors flagged "important biosafety, biocontainment and biosecurity considerations" and urged anyone designing whole genomes to consult security professionals. In an accompanying commentary, Johns Hopkins researchers were blunter: "The ability to compose viral genomes using generative AI now exists; the governance to safely steer it does not." The designed phages all closely resemble an existing virus, but the team warned a related model could eventually target vertebrates.

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