Roundtables: A Conversation With the Creator of AI-Designed Viruses
Friday, October 16, 2026 Can AI design new life forms? In 2025, Stanford University PhD student Samuel King came up with a preliminary answer when he used a generative AI model to propose genetic blueprints for microscopic viruses. It isn’t yet an example of AI-generated life, but that could be next.
In 2025, Samuel King, a PhD student at Stanford University, used a generative AI model—a type of artificial intelligence that creates new content based on patterns it has learned—to design genetic blueprints for microscopic viruses. These blueprints are instructions written in genetic code, similar to how a recipe tells you how to bake a cake. The AI didn’t create living viruses but proposed designs that could theoretically be used to engineer them. This work was part of King’s research and was recognized when he was named one of MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 in 2026. The goal was to explore whether AI could contribute to designing biological entities, a field known as bioengineering.
Samuel King’s experiment showed that AI could generate functional genetic sequences for viruses, which are tiny infectious agents that replicate inside living cells. Viruses are often studied for their role in diseases, but they can also be engineered for beneficial purposes, such as fighting bacterial infections. The AI model King used analyzed vast amounts of existing viral genetic data to identify patterns and then generated new sequences that followed those patterns. This approach could accelerate research in virology and bioengineering by automating parts of the design process. However, the AI did not create life from scratch; it relied on existing biological knowledge to propose new designs.
On October 16, 2026, MIT Technology Review hosted a live conversation between Samuel King and James O’Donnell, a senior AI reporter. The event was titled Roundtables: A Conversation With the Creator of AI-Designed Viruses and was available exclusively to subscribers of MIT Technology Review. The discussion focused on King’s work, his recognition as an innovator, and the broader implications of using AI in biology. The interview was scheduled for 6:30 PM British Summer Time (BST), 1:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), and 10:30 AM Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). Participants could register to join the event via Zoom.
King’s work raises questions about the future of AI in biology and whether it could eventually design entirely new life forms. While the current AI-generated viruses are not alive, this research suggests a path toward using AI to engineer biological systems for specific purposes, such as creating targeted therapies or novel materials. The implications span medicine, agriculture, and environmental science, where engineered viruses or bacteria could play a role. However, ethical and safety concerns also arise, as unintended consequences could emerge from designing biological entities with AI. The scientific community continues to debate the balance between innovation and risk in this emerging field.
King’s work builds on earlier research where AI-designed viruses were shown to effectively kill bacteria, a field known as *bacteriophage therapy*. In 2025, studies demonstrated that AI could optimize viruses to target specific bacterial strains, offering a potential alternative to antibiotics in the face of rising antibiotic resistance. This application highlights the practical benefits of AI in bioengineering, where precision and speed are critical. The intersection of AI and biology is a rapidly growing area of research, with institutions like Stanford University and the Arc Institute at the forefront of these developments.
