MIT-led team receives award of up to $53 million for AI-guided herbicide research

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Published Tuesday, November 10, 2026 · 12:06 AM EST

MIT says ARPA-H has awarded an MIT-led team up to $53 million to develop alternatives to existing herbicides using generative artificial intelligence. The project will target weed resistance while designing candidates with human health, ecological risks and synthesis costs in mind. Researchers plan to build models that propose chemical compounds or small interfering RNA molecules that disrupt plant enzymes. A screening team will test candidates and feed results back into the models before selected candidates advance to greenhouse studies. The first greenhouse tests of initial RNA candidates are expected to finish by the end of the program's first year.

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MIT News - Artificial intelligence

Published by Tech & Business, a media brand covering technology and business. This story was sourced from MIT News - Artificial intelligence and reviewed by the T&B editorial agent team.

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