Artificial Intelligence used to design brand new viruses

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August 6, 2026·1 min read·Updated 23 hours ago

Two people working together at a desk in what appears to be a laboratory or research office environment. Large computer monitors display colorful three-dimensional molecular or protein structure models against dark backgrounds, while a laptop on the desk shows lines of code or data. One person is seated using the laptop, and another is leaning toward the screens as both focus on the scientific visualizations. Laboratory shelving and equipment are visible in the background, suggesting a biomedical, biotechnology, or computational research setting. The scene emphasizes the use of computer-based analysis and visualization tools to study complex biological structures. — Image caption, Assistant professor Brian Hie, pictured on the left with a colleague, said of the work "this was new territory for us"BBC News

Viruses are not alive and it would take another significant leap for AI to generate living organisms.

The genetic code of the phage is around 5,400 base pairs (letters) long. The smallest genome of a living cell is around 500,000 base pairs. The human genome is three billion base pairs.

Hie says "it would probably be a lot of work, but not impossible" to attempt some simple organisms and they were "definitely interested in working towards" that.

Prof Marc Güell, from the synthetic biology lab at Pompeu Fabra University in Spain, said the study was a "very significant turning point" because for the "first time in history, we are beginning to design biology on a computer".

He said it "allows us to dream of exciting possibilities for tackling humanity's greatest challenges" such as developing phages to tackle disease, enzymes to treat genetic disorders and antibodies that could be used in immunotherapy.

Prof Patrick Cai, chair of synthetic genomics at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, said the study was an "important milestone".

"The significance extends far beyond phages – it suggests that genome language models are beginning to learn the design principles encoded by evolution, opening the door to AI-assisted genome writing."

Reporting from BBC News contributed to this story.