Roundtables: A Conversation With the Creator of AI-Designed Viruses
Roundtables: A Conversation With the Creator of AI-Designed Viruses
In 2025, Stanford PhD student Samuel King used a generative AI model to propose the genetic blueprint of a miniature virus, earning him a spot on MIT Technology Review's Innovators Under 35.
Watch a subscriber-only conversation with one of MIT Technology Review's Innovators Under 35.
October 16, 2026
Available only for MIT Technology Review subscribers.
Listen to the session or watch below
Can AI design new life forms? In 2025, Stanford University PhD student Samuel King came up with a preliminary answer when he used a generative AI model to propose genetic blueprints for microscopic viruses. It isn’t yet an example of AI-generated life, but that could be next. Watch as senior AI reporter James O'Donnell interviews King about his work, being named one of MIT Technology Review's Innovators Under 35 and new ways of seeing biology.
Speakers: James O'Donnell, AI Reporter, and Samuel King, Bioengineering PhD Candidate, Stanford University/Arc Institute
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Source: MIT Technology Review · AI · technologyreview.com