Stanford researchers use AI to design functioning bacteriophage viruses

Scientists at Stanford University have used artificial intelligence to build working viruses from scratch for the first time. The team, led by Dr. Brian Hie, used AI tools trained on genetic data from two million bacteriophages. Bacteriophages are viruses that attack bacteria but cannot infect humans. The researchers produced thousands of possible genome designs and made around 300 of them in a laboratory. Sixteen of these viruses worked correctly. The AI was not trained on viruses that infect humans, plants, or animals. The study was carried out under strict safety conditions and published in the journal Science. Previously, AI had helped design antibiotics, but creating a complete virus is much more complex. Experts say the technology could help fight bacterial infections and antibiotic resistance.