AI-Generated Viruses

For years, scientists have experimented with biological engineering for purposes both beneficial and lethal. Now, artificial intelligence is being used to design new viruses (The Guardian, August 6, 2026). AI is able to rapidly develop these viruses, known as bacteriophages, to specifically target destructive bacteria, such as deadly E. coli. As a precaution in a recent test, the AI has not been trained on data that included any genetic codes for viruses that can infect animals, humans, or plants.

But are such precautions enough? Although this test created viruses that seem beneficial, scientists are aware that the same technology could be used to rapidly create viruses that are destructive to people or the environment. Scientists and ethics groups are now calling for greater oversight of this type of research in order to prevent future biological catastrophes. As MIT associate professor and biologist Kevin Esvelt observed in a recent interview, “The unsettling conclusion is that this study is one more step in the road towards being able to make unlimited pandemic viral variants in humans…. So we should begin thinking now how we’re going to prepare for a world where people can just cause pandemics at will” (WGBH.org, August 11, 2026).

History shows that, without an inherent moral compass founded on the Ten Commandments and a corresponding transformation of human nature, mankind’s tendency to hurt and destroy will always advance at the same rate science does. This condition will not change until Jesus Christ returns to “reign in righteousness” and begin the process of writing the laws of God on hearts and minds throughout the world (Isaiah 32:1; Hebrews 10:16). To learn more about the safety and peace of this coming time, watch “The Mystery of the Kingdom of God.”