Journalism begins where hype ends

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The rise of powerful AI will be either the best, or the worst thing, ever to happen to humanity. We do not yet know which."

—Stephen Hawking

UK Considers Tougher AI Rules for Gene Synthesis to Block Bioweapon Risks

A figure in a protective gas mask stands against the Union Jack, symbolising UK efforts to tighten AI rules on gene synthesis and prevent the creation of biological weapons.

UK officials are weighing stricter rules on AI in gene synthesis, including mandatory screening and biological weapons legislation, to stop terrorists creating bioweapons, Bloomberg reports.

AI Wrote 16 Working Viruses. The Rules Haven’t Caught Up

Researchers generated complete bacteriophage genomes using AI models trained on millions of natural genomes, then synthesised and tested them against E. coli in the laboratory. Representational image.

Genome language models Evo 1 and Evo 2 generated some 700,000 candidate bacteriophage genomes. Researchers built 285 of them. Sixteen came alive and infected E. coli, including strains resistant to the natural template.