Anthropic has announced that its AI model Claude autonomously discovered a previously unidentified enzyme system in bacterial DNA that may represent a new gene-editing mechanism similar to CRISPR (the Nobel Prize-winning genome-editing technology widely used in disease treatment). The company said Claude identified the system after spending 21 hours analysing a large DNA sequence database, with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei suggesting the "molecular machine" could open new avenues in biology, though the firm cautioned it has not yet determined the system's function. Experts are divided on its significance: Stanford bioengineering professor Stanley Qi called the find "incredibly exciting," while microbiologist Kevin Blake of Washington University School of Medicine warned there is currently nothing to suggest it could be developed into a practical therapeutic application or rival existing CRISPR-based technology.