Safety fears as scientists make first viruses designed by AI
Researchers say breakthrough offers hope for new medicines but also raises urgent biosecurity questions Scientists have made the first viruses designed by artificial intelligence in a milestone that raises hopes for new medicines but also concerns over how to ensure the technology remains safe. The viruses are specific kinds known as bacteriophages, which only infect bacteria and are used around…
Scientists have created the first viruses designed by artificial intelligence. These viruses, known as bacteriophages, specifically infect bacteria and are used globally to treat patients with persistent infections.
The AI-designed viruses have shown promise in lab tests, where a combination of them successfully killed E coli bacteria that were resistant to natural bacteriophages.
This breakthrough raises hopes for the development of new medicines, but it also brings up urgent questions about biosecurity and ensuring the technology is used safely.
Brief written by urgent.news from Guardian Health, Guardian Science — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
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