Researchers at Stanford and the Arc Institute used artificial intelligence models trained on millions of bacteriophage genomes to design new viral genomes. Of 302 AI-generated genetic designs chemically synthesized and tested, 16 successfully replicated and lysed E. coli bacteria. This landmark achievement represents the first generative design of complete viral genomes, signaling a breakthrough in synthetic biology. Though viruses are not living organisms, the ability to computationally generate and validate functional genomes opens pathways for novel antibacterial agents and accelerates synthetic biology research.