Have we learned nothing from SARS-CoV2?

Nature Briefing have just been advertising a new "breakthrough" available as a preprint on BioRxiv "Generative design of novel bacteriophages with genome language models"

A lab in the USA have used AI to generate new novel phages (16 of them) based on a phage named ΦX174 that will kill drug resistant E. coli "

Well that's fine, but will the phages only kill E. coli? Will the phages they manufactured mutate? The authors do note that "Indeed, we observed subsequent recombination and mutation of our generated phages that likely conferred resilience against host resistance".

And what of other applications of the technology that they so fully set out? How about a phage that will target other plant and animal bacteria? Many bacteria are essential to animal life (anyone who has used probiotics is aware of that). The potential for "mistakes" (Wuhan?) military and criminal uses are mindboggling.

Ironically just a week ago, two companies in Devon (UK) were fined for high containment breaches at a lab where where high-hazard infectious organisms – including Salmonella typhi, were handled.

Is it time to call for more legislative oversight of such genetic manipulation?