MIT Technology Review talks to Samuel King, the researcher designing viruses with AI
What happened
Samuel King, a Stanford PhD student, has used generative AI models to design the genetic blueprint of a microscopic virus. MIT Technology Review says this is not yet AI-generated life, but it may be the next step. The magazine's senior AI reporter James O'Donnell will speak with King live on 16 October at 18:30 BST about his work and his selection for Innovators Under 35.
Written by AI from the reports · updated 7 d ago
Timeline
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- MIT Technology Review · AIRoundtables: 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.
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