An AI model has created new viruses that have never existed in nature, with 16 out of 285 AI-generated viral genomes successfully assembling into functioning viruses capable of infecting bacteria and reproducing. Researchers trained a genomic AI model on over 9 trillion nucleotides across more than 128,000 genetic sequences , enabling it to learn patterns in how DNA is arranged. Using these patterns, the model was able to design new genetic sequences capable of producing biologically meaningful structures.
Unlike traditional approaches that rely on modifying existing viral genomes, this model generated entirely new genomic blueprints. Scientists selected a well-studied virus and its related sequences to guide the model, after which it proposed 700,000 potential genomes , later narrowed down for testing. From these, 285 genomes were synthesized , resulting in 16 viable viruses that…
