César de la Fuente's laboratory is using OpenAI's Codex and ChatGPT to search both living and extinct genomes for potential antimicrobial molecules, according to an announcement from OpenAI.
The work targets drug-resistant infections, a growing challenge in medicine where existing antibiotics lose effectiveness. By computationally scanning genetic data — including from extinct organisms — the lab aims to surface antimicrobial candidates that might otherwise go unnoticed.
OpenAI framed the effort as an example of how its coding and conversational AI tools are being applied to scientific research. The announcement did not disclose specific molecules, results, or performance figures.