AI and Biological Weapons: Experts Warn of New Risks and Pandemic Threats

Why AI Safety Measures May Not Be Enough

“We go back and forth all the time,” Magnus says. “We need to build better surveillance and screening tools. But AI is very good at finding ways around them.” He says researchers will probably need to find ways to leverage AI while also limiting its misuse.

Not all scientists agree on the level of risk. At a recent media conference, some biologists at Imperial College London argued that AI tools alone are not enough to fully develop biological weapons. Testing new pathogens still requires difficult and time-consuming human work, leading some experts to believe that existing safeguards may be sufficient.

Experts Say Existing Pathogens Pose a Greater Risk

Wendy Barclay, a professor of infectious diseases at Imperial College London, said the greatest current pandemic risk does not come from biological weapons, but from pathogens that are already circulating.

One example is H5N1 avian influenza, which has killed millions of birds and is widespread among dairy cows in the United States. The virus has also been detected in captive mink on a farm in Utah.

Preparing for Biological Threats

Sabra, on the other hand, focuses on the next five to 10 years. She says countries need to strengthen their health systems, prepare antidotes for known toxins and stockpile medicines. “We need to be prepared,” she says.

Biologists Call for Caution as AI Advances

Kevin Esvelt, a biologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who invented two techniques for rapidly tracking the transmission of genetic traits through populations, has also raised concerns about how to limit the technology. In a post on Wednesday, he said a large language model had “revealed a new form of biological warfare that I didn’t realize was possible.”

He added: “For the love of God, for the sake of our children, for the future of humanity, for the sake of what you consider sacred, tread carefully here.”

This article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. Get it in your inbox every Thursday and be the first to read more articles like this. Sign up here.