Google launches SynthID Bio to watermark AI-generated proteins

Google has launched SynthID Bio, bringing digital watermarking to synthetic biology. The tech embeds invisible signatures into biological code, verifiable on both digital models and physical proteins while keeping their biological function intact.

Generative AI helps scientists predict protein structures, design new proteins, and develop new phages. But it also brings risks: AI designs may bypass traditional DNA synthesis screening, and mislabeled synthetic 3D structures can pollute public databases. SynthID Bio adjusts its method by data type, guiding amino acid choices and tweaking atomic coordinates to create reliable detection signals.

In wet-lab tests on VEGF-A, SARS-CoV-2 spike RBD, and PD-L1, watermarked designs matched unwatermarked versions in hit rate, binding affinity, and natural sequence diversity, creating the first functional watermarked protein binders. Google is working with Stanford's Hie Lab and Arc Institute to integrate SynthID Bio into the genome model Evo 2.