The analyses I've read on the virus convince me it is not artificial, was not produced as any kind of bioweapon in any lab. It is possible it was being studied in a lab and escaped.
Bats are fascinating in that they have a highly developed immune system and viruses don't generally kill them, so the virus can spread. A pathogen with a high mortality rate will burn itself out quickly. When one of these becomes zoonotic, humans will have issues.