AI가 처음부터 16개 바이러스 설계 — 생물안전법은 낡았는가?
Stanford의 'Evo' AI가 실험실 테스트에서 성공적으로 복제된 신종 바이러스 16개를 설계하며, AI가 기능성 생물학을 설계할 수 있음을 입증했다. 이는 계산 기반 병원체 설계가 대부분 통제되지 않은 채 남아 있는 규제 공백을 드러낸다.
scientists at stanford and the arc institute used a generative ai model named evo to design complete viral genomes, successfully synthesizing 16 distinct viruses that replicate in bacteria, some faster than the natural phi x-174. trained on 9 trillion nucleotides and specific phage data, the model proposed 700,000 genomes, of which 285 synthesized sequences yielded 16 functional viruses, confirming ai can engineer robust biological tools. while the team excluded human-infecting virus data to ensure safety, the research highlights a disconnect between ai capabilities and government oversight, as current us policies restrict physical enhancement of pathogens but not the computational creation of novel biological agents. regulators like the nih admit purely computational design is exempt unless it targets known 'entities of concern,' creating a gap that experts fear could be exploited for designing harmful influenza variants or other threats.