Anthropic AI Discovers CRISPR-Like Enzymatic System in 21 Hours

The American artificial intelligence startup Anthropic has announced that its AI model Claude has discovered a previously unknown enzymatic system in viral DNA. The analysis, conducted by 950 AI agents working in parallel, was completed in just 21 hours, a task that would normally take human researchers weeks or months.

The AI identified a pattern in bacteriophages—viruses that infect bacteria—called ART. This system features short repeated DNA fragments located next to a known enzyme and a protein of unknown function, a structural arrangement reminiscent of the well-known genetic editing mechanism CRISPR.

CRISPR is a natural bacterial defense system discovered in the 1980s, which allows for precise cutting and modification of DNA. This revolutionary genetic editing technology has paved the way for innovative medical therapies and earned scientists Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna the Nobel Prize in 2020. Its function is based on short repeated DNA sequences and specific enzymes that act as 'molecular scissors.'

The search for new CRISPR-like systems is an active field in biotechnology, as they could offer alternative or complementary tools for genetic manipulation. Technology companies like Anthropic are applying artificial intelligence to the analysis of vast biological databases to accelerate these discoveries. The record-time identification of the ART system demonstrates how AI can revolutionize the scientific research process, shifting from lengthy and complex manual analyses to rapid, automated screening.