AI leaders call for rules on synthetic DNA to reduce risks of bioweapons

Big names in the AI ​​industry don’t always agree. We have seen Lawsuits between artificial intelligence companies and Intense competition between leaders Which turn into all-out conflicts. But they seem to generally agree on at least one thing: AI should not be used to make biological weapons.

CEOs of some of the world’s leading AI companies I signed a public letter This week he urged governments to address the risks that could come from bad actors using their technology. The letter encourages Congress to enact laws to improve traceability of synthetic DNA sequences that could be used to make biological weapons.

Signed by OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, Meta’s Alexander Wang, Microsoft AI’s Mustafa Soliman, Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis and other scientists and AI lab leaders, the letter proposed legislation that would require companies selling synthetic DNA and synthesis machine manufacturers to carefully check “sequences of concern and verify the legitimacy of customers before shipping orders.”

The letter, also signed by leaders in the synthetic DNA industry and national security experts, explains that AI is accelerating the threat of biosecurity threats.

“Although the issue is not new, the pace of progress in artificial intelligence is such that AI systems are now excels PhD-level virologists to respond to questions about high-tech laboratory procedures in their particular areas of expertise,” the letter states.

“AI systems are improving rapidly, and alongside the amazing benefits for science and medicine, there is a real possibility that the cognitive barriers that have historically prevented bad actors from obtaining bioweapons will be eroded.”

The letter has a clear sense of urgency, asking lawmakers to quickly implement the guardrails. “This is a rare moment of agreement between stakeholders who are often at odds,” the letter said. “We hope policymakers will confront it with decisive action.”