In California, scientists have made a significant biological discovery. Using artificial intelligence (AI), researchers from Stanford University and the Arc Institute have successfully created new living viruses. These viruses do not exist in nature.
The research, published in the journal Science in August 2026, is a major step in biological engineering. For the first time, AI systems have designed complete genetic instructions for viruses. These new viruses are bacteriophages, which are tiny things that naturally attack and destroy bacteria.
The team used two computer systems, Evo 1 and Evo 2. These programs studied millions of genetic codes from different living things. By learning from this data, the computers understood how DNA works and the limits of natural evolution. The scientists gave the AI a basic virus blueprint as a starting point. Then, the computer designed the entire genetic code on its own.
Scientists made about 300 of the AI-designed viruses in the lab. Sixteen of them became active and could attack Escherichia coli, a common type of bacteria. These artificial viruses had genetic structures never seen before in nature, but they worked well. They successfully killed E. coli strains that were resistant to natural viruses.
When researchers mixed several of these artificial viruses, they were more effective than natural viruses at defeating bacteria. This offers hope for fighting antibiotic resistance, a growing global health problem where bacteria become immune to medicines. Using multiple artificial viruses together could make it harder for bacteria to develop resistance.
However, this technology also raises concerns. Experts worry about the risks of creating viruses from computer instructions. While the scientists avoided using genetic data from viruses that infect humans, the ability to design viruses with AI is a powerful new development.