Anthropic says Claude found possible gene-editing system

Anthropic said Wednesday that its Claude artificial intelligence model helped identify a previously unknown enzyme system, a preliminary biology finding the company said may point to a new gene-editing mechanism.

The US AI startup said about 950 Claude-powered software agents searched a database of DNA sequences for 21 hours. According to Anthropic, the agents found more than 200,000 genes for one enzyme type and selected 20 for closer study.

Anthropic said human researchers gave the initial instructions and performed laboratory experiments, while the AI agents worked autonomously to decide which leads to pursue. The company said one agent found short repeating DNA sequences in viruses that infect bacteria, next to two genes: one for a known enzyme and one for an unidentified protein.

The company compared the arrangement to CRISPR, a natural bacterial defence system that scientists adapted into a gene-editing tool. Anthropic said the newly identified system, called ART, has an unknown function, although its early experiments suggest it could be programmable.

Chief executive Dario Amodei cited the finding in remarks to the UN Security Council, saying it was preliminary but may constitute a new gene-editing mechanism with possible gene therapy uses. The results were published as a preprint and have not yet been reviewed by other scientists.