Developments in AI designed viruses demonstrate why such research must be done in the open

Researchers at Stanford University have1 found novel bacteriophages, viruses that infect and kill bacteria, not by looking for them in the usual places, such as oceans or sewers, but by using artificial intelligence.Specifically, they used AI to design the genome sequences of new phages that do not exist in nature. This is an important step for generative biology, but creating synthetic viruses raises significant safety and ethical concerns regarding biosecurity risk, unintended ecological consequences, and the potential for misuse of AI designed biological agents.Bacteriophages offer a promising weapon against antibiotic resistant superbugs. Yet bacteria adapt and become resistant to them, and unlike the slow decline of antibiotic efficacy, phage resistance can occur suddenly and be absolute, rendering them useless as a potential treatment.2 To stay ahead of this threat, researchers must continuously source novel phages that can overcome resistant strains.Genome language models leverage AI to design biological systems and operate…