Intelligence Squared

Will AI Design New Organisms From Scratch? With Adrian Woolfson

February 18, 2026

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  • The genome is conceptualized as a "gene kit" lacking an instruction manual, which AI is now helping to reverse-engineer, effectively learning the "grammar of life." 
  • The traditional concept of a species, based on evolutionary history and reproductive barriers, will become meaningless for organisms designed from first principles, leading to the proposed term "morphora." 
  • AI-driven genome design is already happening today, enabling the creation of entirely new biological entities, necessitating a cautious, human-led dialogue to establish a responsible "manifesto for life." 

Segments

Motivation for New Book
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(00:02:51)
  • Key Takeaway: The author wrote “On the Future of Species” to communicate the imminent reality of designing and building life, which is becoming possible due to AI.
  • Summary: The author felt compelled to write the book to communicate the moment when designing and building life from first principles is becoming a reality, driven by advancements in AI. He views the book as a “pocket guide” to help the public navigate this new landscape of life’s future. The consequences of this technology are expected to be remarkable, potentially changing life in ways barely imaginable.
Defining Genome and Species
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(00:06:10)
  • Key Takeaway: The genome is likened to a model airplane’s “gene kit” whose missing instruction manual is the ‘grammar of life’ that AI is helping to decode.
  • Summary: Sidney Brenner described the human genome as a “gene kit,” containing the components to build an organism but lacking the instruction manual, which scientists are trying to reverse-engineer. A species is traditionally defined by reproductive barriers that partition the ’tree of life’ and prevent absurd cross-mating. This concept of species becomes meaningless for designed life, leading the author to propose the term ‘morphora’ for organisms built from first principles.
Applications of Genome Writing
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(00:14:25)
  • Key Takeaway: Biology is poised to become the engineering material of the century, offering sustainable solutions for energy, food production, and information storage.
  • Summary: One primary use for genome writing is eliminating human disease, but another major application is turning biology into a predictive engineering material, similar to how steel was democratized. Biology is sustainable because it grows naturally and can embed intelligence into everyday objects, such as using DNA for energy-efficient information archiving. Synthetic chromosomes can reprogram crops to withstand harsh conditions, and AI can design biomaterials like spider silk with enhanced properties.
Ecosystem Fragility and Firewalls
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(00:21:59)
  • Key Takeaway: Introducing synthetic species into natural ecosystems carries tremendous risk due to their complexity and fragility, demanding high barriers like genetic firewalls.
  • Summary: Natural ecosystems are incredibly fragile, complex, and difficult to predict when introducing or modifying a species, meaning the barrier to intervention must be extremely high. The author advocates that any synthesized species should be firewalled from nature, either physically (which is unsafe) or genetically, using altered genetic codes to prevent information transmission. Fail-safe mechanisms must also be built in to easily delete species if they misbehave.
AI’s Role in Biological Design
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(00:29:59)
  • Key Takeaway: AI, particularly genome language models, is the perfect language for deciphering the grammar of life, a task mathematics proved insufficient for.
  • Summary: Mathematics was ideal for physics, but AI is proving to be the perfect language for unpicking the grammar of life, which uses a simpler four-letter alphabet (A, C, T, G). Genome language models, analogous to ChatGPT, can process vast databases of genome sequences to discern patterns beyond human mental capacity. This capability has already led to the design of the world’s first totally artificial species (a virus), confirming the process of designing complex life has begun.
Human Agency and Meaning Making
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(00:36:34)
  • Key Takeaway: Humans must maintain final editorial ownership over life design, as AI lacks moral sensibilities and aesthetic appreciation for human imperfection.
  • Summary: It is critical that humans retain the final say in all life design decisions, as AI could potentially design life to serve its own ends, undermining humanity. AI does not possess human moral sensibilities or an appreciation for the beauty found in human imperfection and paradox, striving instead for a logically perfect system. The current moment is unprecedented because biology, including human nature, is becoming negotiable, requiring broad dialogue to maintain agency and consent.