This AI just created viruses not found in nature

Carl ZimmerNew York Times·7 Aug, 2026 01:12 AM7 mins to readAn atomic reconstruction of one of the viruses generated by an AI model called Evo. Image / Samuel H. King et al via The New York TimesScientists trained artificial intelligence on libraries of DNA and then asked the model to create recipes for viral genomes. Sixteen of them were viable, yielding new viruses. For the first time, scientists have used artificial intelligence to create new kinds of viruses, raising hopes for medical advances while also raising