At first glance, it's only natural to fear the repercussions of artificial intelligence possessing the skill and capacity to design new strains of viruses, but this endeavour is in fact being used to the benefit of humanity. Researchers at Stanford University has used AI technology to create 16 new viruses that are designed to target bacteria, treat disease, and to be harmless to humans.
It's said the viruses are fully functionable and can be replicated in a laboratory, and it's the latest major medical innovation, transitioning from using AI to design new antibiotics to simply making new and beneficial viruses instead.
According to BBC News, the technology operates similarly to ChatGPT, by using predictive sequences to predict the language of life instead of text. The AI models were also trained by studying the genetic codes of existing viruses, bacteria, plants, and people, and then tasked with creating a virus type known as a bacteriophage, which is able to only infect specific species of bacteria. In total, 302 virus strains were designed with 16 proving effective at killing E.Coli in a laboratory.
Naturally, this innovation has led many to be concerned about the potential applications for creating viruses that could be harmful to humans, even if there are safeguards in place that are supposed to ensure the "technology is used for good," as per assistant professor Brian Hie.
