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The Rio Innovation Week concluded after four days dedicated to technology exhibitions, business networking, and innovation demonstrations. Organizers note that this event highlights the growing significance of Rio de Janeiro as a regional innovation hub.

A new partnership was established during the event, specifically an agreement between Brazil and China on satellite technologies. It is estimated that about 180,000 people attended the event.

A team of researchers from the United States applied artificial intelligence (AI) to develop complete genomes of new bacteriophages. This approach marks the first attempt of its kind and is a step toward potentially creating AI-designed phage therapies, according to research published in the journal Science on Thursday.

The researchers, led by principal investigator and corresponding author Brian Hie, an assistant professor at Stanford University and innovation researcher at Arc Institute, utilized two genome language models—Evo 1 and Evo 2. These models allowed for the generation of complete phage genomes possessing realistic genetic architecture and specificity to the bacterial host Escherichia coli C. (E. coli). The researchers noted that this was the first generative development of complete bacteriophage genomes.

Bacteriophages, also known as phages, are viruses that infect bacteria, not humans, animals, or plants. According to the study, scientists generated and filtered thousands of sequence variants before selecting about 300 designs.

In laboratory tests, 285 of these designs were successfully synthesized and assembled in E. coli cells, and 16 of them demonstrated the ability to form viable bacteriophages that replicated and destroyed bacteria.

Some of the designed phages showed higher efficacy in destroying bacteria in a direct laboratory competition compared to the natural phage phiX174, which infects E. coli. Furthermore, a mixture of the developed phages proved effective against E. coli strains resistant to phiX174, indicating potential for AI-created phage therapies.

In a companion 'Perspective' article, Thomas Inglesby and Moritz Hanke from Johns Hopkins University expressed concern regarding the biosecurity implications of this achievement. They called for a legal requirement to screen orders for synthetic genetic material for potentially dangerous sequences instead of relying solely on voluntary safeguards.

Geoffrey Hinton, a Nobel laureate and recognized 'godfather' of artificial intelligence, gave positive feedback on the Chinese government's balanced and cautious approach to the relationship between AI and the labor market.

Hinton shared his thoughts on the rapid development of AI during the Ai4 Las Vegas 2026 conference, which took place from August 4 to 6 in Las Vegas. He noted that in China, the concept is being promoted that workers cannot simply be replaced by artificial intelligence; instead, workers should collaborate with AI to perform tasks.

In Hinton's opinion, Chinese authorities are likely more concerned with unemployment than American corporations. He warned that unemployment could lead to a loss of a significant tax base for the government, which currently needs resources to address unemployed issues, potentially triggering serious social upheaval.

Furthermore, Hinton emphasized that regulations should not hinder progress in AI but should guide its development. He objected to the view of large companies that tend to see regulation as an inhibitor of innovation. Instead, he suggested viewing AI development as a car accelerator and regulation as the steering wheel that helps direct development toward human benefit, rather than suppressing it.