DeepMind adds hidden AI labels to protein designs

A watermark can show that an image was made with AI. DeepMind’s SynthID Bio brings that idea to proteins by embedding a detectable pattern in the order of their building blocks, called amino acids.

In a Nature study, researchers added these marks to existing protein designs. Lab tests showed that the marked proteins still attached to their intended targets about as well as unmarked versions.

The approach could help labs that make DNA check incoming orders for AI designs. It could also help researchers identify AI entries in biological databases.

This is an early demonstration. Changing a protein’s sequence can largely erase the mark, so it cannot reliably identify every AI-designed protein.