Anthropic Says It Discovered a Crispr-Like System. Now What?
wired ·
Anthropic announced that its AI model, Claude, identified a novel enzyme system called ART in jumbo phages, which exhibits features reminiscent of the CRISPR gene-editing tool. The discovery was made by running approximately 950 Claude agents simultaneously to search genomic databases for reverse transcriptases with repeat DNA sequences. While some experts praise the speed and pattern-recognition capabilities of the AI, others remain skeptical, noting that the experiments validating the system's function are still pending. Critics argue that the PR announcement preceded the necessary wet-lab verification, comparing the finding to spotting a shiny object that may not be a diamond. Although the specific enzyme had been previously identified in 2021, Claude uniquely highlighted the surrounding repeats suggesting a CRISPR-like mechanism. Scientists caution against attributing full autonomy to the AI, emphasizing that human researchers guided the process and that biological validation is essential. The event highlights both the potential of AI to accelerate data mining in biology and the enduring necessity of traditional experimental science.
wired