Roundtables: A Conversation With the Creator of AI-Designed Viruses
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Can AI design new life forms? In 2025, Stanford University PhD student Samuel King provided a preliminary answer by using a generative AI model to propose genetic blueprints for microscopic viruses. While this work does not yet represent AI-generated life, it may pave the way for future advancements. In this session, senior AI reporter James O’Donnell interviews King about his groundbreaking work, his recognition as one of MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35, and innovative perspectives on biology.
Speakers: James O’Donnell, AI Reporter, and Samuel King, Bioengineering PhD Candidate, Stanford University/Arc Institute.
Recorded on Friday, October 16, 2026
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Source: MIT Technology Review