Stanford PhD student Samuel King used AI model Evo to design working viruses

BrianHie · x · 2026-09-10

Stanford PhD student and Arc Institute researcher Samuel King, 27, was named to MIT Technology Review's Innovators Under 35 (biotechnology).
Key work: he used the generative model Evo to propose genetic blueprints for bacteriophages, printed the designs as DNA strands, and added them to E. coli cultures—some viruses actually assembled, burst out of cells, and infected nearby bacteria.
Not yet AI-generated life, but the next step could be models proposing full bacterial genomes. King thinks models may create life forms designed to produce drugs or soak up pollution; custom viruses could also aid gene therapy.
His advisor Brian Hie celebrated the recognition.

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