Introducing SynthID Bio

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September 30, 2026 Science Introducing SynthID Bio Pushmeet Kohli, David Stutz, Ali Cowen-Rivers and Jeremy Ratcliff Share Proof of concept for watermarking AI-generated proteins while preserving biological function. Proof of concept for watermarking AI-generated proteins while preserving biological function.

SynthID Bio embeds an imperceptible signature directly into the biological code, ensuring the watermark is verifiable not just on a digital model but on the synthesized, physical protein itself – all while preserving its biological function in laboratory testing. Generative AI is helping scientists address critical biological challenges, from predicting the structure of proteins ( AlphaFold ) to designing entirely new proteins ( AlphaProteo , and ProteinMPNN ), and more recently, developing new bacteriophages , viruses that infect bacteria.

Yet these tools also present new challenges: novel AI designs can bypass traditional DNA synthesis screening, while mislabeled synthetic 3D structures risk polluting public databases and misleading downstream research. Your browser does not support the video tag.