AI may trigger a quantum leap in the development of synthetic biology, acting as a catalyst for life and biological evolution. Foundational work to understand the field and develop methods for gene manipulation has been underway for decades. Therefore, AI’s ability to simulate large data sets and coordinate with advanced manufacturing equipment can have a particularly powerful impact. Today, the field stands at a pivotal point, where an entire industry is beginning to take shape, and where the venture capital market is red-hot.
Synthetic biology opens up major ethical and geopolitical dilemmas and risks. AI could, for instance, distribute critical knowledge to individuals or powers with destructive intentions.
AI Will Especially Accelerate Research and Development in Advanced Systems
This year and in the coming years, we will see AI agents take initiatives and act on our behalf. The tech sector is aligned on this outlook and has invested heavily accordingly. This creates significant opportunities for user productivity and efficiency but also brings major structural and long-term risks, including geopolitical ones..
However, the most substantial AI breakthroughs are expected within research and development, particularly in synthetic biology. This was underlined when the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Demis Hassabis and John Jumper for using AlphaFold to predict and model the complex structures of proteins, an area central to synthetic biology.
Synthetic Biology Can Multiply the Speed and Scope of Development…
The first generation of synthetic biology led in the 1980s to, among other things, recombinant (genetically modified) human insulin. Danish company Novo Nordisk was a leader in that development, and still is. The second generation, in the early 21st century, produced custom biosensors and synthetic gene circuits for, e.g., controlling protein production. The current third generation focuses on fully synthetic cells and biosystems tailored to individual recipients. That requires deep learning, and AI plays a central role.
The potential impact of AI on synthetic biology is enormous. Natural biological evolution occurs over thousands of years. But synthetic biology, via tools like CRISPR, suggests a developmental process that can be measured in months or even weeks.
Synthetic biology is about designing, constructing, and redesigning biological systems with far greater precision than possible via natural mutation (evolution). For example:
- Building new organisms from scratch (de novo genome design)
- Designing biological circuits (logic gates, sensors, etc., for biotech)
- Genetically programming cells to perform specific tasks (e.g., nanobots)
- Improving biosafety (e.g., genetic containment, kill-switches)
…Opening Entirely New Doors for Development
These capabilities open possibilities such as:
- Climate: E.g. designing CO₂-absorbing microorganisms (artificial photosynthesis), lab-grown meat, or materials with low climate impact
- Environment: E.g. biodegrading plastics and toxins; restoring or recreating ecosystems (e.g., the Mammoth project)
- Medicine and Health: Gene therapy, microbes as pharmaceuticals (insulin, antibiotics, vaccines), personalized medicine based on synthetic DNA, or cellular biosensors
- Agriculture: Synthetic meat and dairy, drought-resistant plants, bio-fabricated fertilizer, or reduction in antibiotic use
Leading Researchers Are Specific in Their Predictions
Among key researchers in synthetic biology is George Church, who fundamentally distinguishes between software (DNA as programmable) and hardware (cells). This enables, for example, data storage in DNA-like sequences, which allows for significantly higher data density and durability than current digital media. It also opens perspectives like programmable organisms capable of producing materials, fuel, drugs, and more.
Church’s key ideas include:
- Redesigning life from the ground up with higher precision through genome synthesis and even creating entirely new forms of life. For example, he’s recoded entire genomes in E. coli, making it resistant to viruses, a key step toward biosafety and controlled biology.
- Curative therapies beyond symptom management, especially regarding gene therapy for hereditary diseases (like Alzheimer’s or Tay-Sachs), age reversal, and pandemic prevention (e.g., by designing genetic immunity).
- De-extinction, or bringing back extinct species like the mammoth. This could help restore ecosystems and serve as a large-scale test of synthetic biology.
... That Also Reshape Geopolitical Risk Landscapes
Geopolitically, the above developments could increase strategic autonomy for many nations. For example, it could enhance local food production and wastewater treatment. But it could also exacerbate inequality (the technology gap) and create dependencies through control over specialized food supplies or fertilizers.
Church is deeply concerned about the risks of synthetic biology. He has advocated for genetic kill switches and biological containment, where synthetic organisms can only survive under specific conditions.
He has compared synthetic biology to the development of the atomic bomb. Creating a nuclear weapon takes years and the collaboration of many people. But with synthetic biology, fewer and fewer people could potentially create pandemic-grade bioweapons in shorter times and with fewer resources.
There Are No Simple Solutions
Church is particularly alarmed by the concept of Mirror Life, an effort to develop reciprocal life forms that could reset biological systems across all parameters at once. In April this year, he and 38 other researchers warned in Science thatthis line of research should either be banned or paused.
Church’s warning mirrors the call for a development pause made by Elon Musk and others in early 2023 after OpenAI's breakthrough with ChatGPT-3.0.
“We should not fear engineering life. We should fear not understanding it, and letting it evolve unchecked”.