Can AI Create New Life? Inside the Design of AI-Generated Viruses
Can artificial intelligence design entirely new forms of life? In 2025, Stanford University PhD student Samuel King offered an early glimpse of what may be possible when he used a generative AI model to develop genetic blueprints for microscopic viruses. The work does not represent AI-generated life: The proposed designs were preliminary and did not amount to functioning organisms. Still, the experiment raises an important question about how quickly AI could move from analyzing biology to creating novel biological systems. At this MIT Technology Review Roundtable on Friday, October 16, 2026, senior AI reporter will discuss King’s research, the scientific hurdles that remain, and the potential benefits and risks of AI-designed viruses. The conversation will also explore what these advances could mean for biotechnology, biosecurity, and the future of life sciences.