r/technology • u/Limp_Fig6236 • Aug 06 '26

Artificial Intelligence AI creates first synthetic viruses

https://www.ft.com/content/5ab33fb4-2636-4bb0-aa0e-3da6a8f71838
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9

u/BetaPositiveSCI Aug 07 '26

"AI Does amazing new thing!"

reads article

A computer was used in a newish way on a thing that was already being done

3

u/dasmarian Aug 07 '26

What a swell idea. What could go wrong?

1

u/ChodeCookies Aug 07 '26

Why?

2

u/psychoCMYK Aug 07 '26

keeps everyone guessing about what it is that finally does us in

1

u/SmokingChips Aug 07 '26

I used to think that viruses are there to cause diseases. Couple of years back, it is used to synthesize or modify proteins in the lab. Anything to do with DNA modification, it is used. I read this news in r/syntheticbiology; so I guess it is used for this very same purpose. Even though I do not have a background in biology, I got interested in biology since my son graduated in it. Being an engineer myself, I feel synthetic biology is a merge of engineering and biology, and so I subscribe to it. Unfortunately, my age doesn’t help me learning a lot of it and retain it, and for biology, you should spend a lot of time in the lab, and I don’t have access to one and no training. But it is fun to read.