Samuel King Uses Generative AI to Propose Virus Blueprints in 2025
Updated
Updated · MIT Technology Review · Oct 16
Samuel King Uses Generative AI to Propose Virus Blueprints in 2025
2 articles · Updated · MIT Technology Review · Oct 16
Summary
Stanford PhD student Samuel King said he used a generative AI model in 2025 to propose genetic blueprints for microscopic viruses, offering an early test of whether AI can help design new life forms.
MIT Technology Review framed the work as not yet AI-generated life, but as a step that suggests fully AI-designed biological systems could follow.
James O'Donnell interviewed King about the research, his biology-focused approach and his selection as one of MIT Technology Review's Innovators Under 35.
The discussion lands amid wider debate over AI's real scientific creativity, with related coverage questioning whether current models can genuinely reason or drive open-ended research.