This solution could be an alternative to antibiotics. AI is making it possible

This innovation could be part of the solution to one of the biggest threats to global health: antimicrobial resistance. Phages are viruses that attack bacteria. They are highly specialised - most species of phage target a single species of bacteria, or even particular strains within a species. Finding the right phage to treat a particular infection is an almost impossible task for scientists, however: there are around 1 trillion phages for every grain of sand on the planet. Now a French start-up, Phagos, is using AI to help find the right phages, with promising results for the fight against AMR. Here, co-founders Adèle James and Alexandros Pantalis explain how it works. Phagos is a World Economic Forum 2025 Technology Pioneer.