Tech firms are scrambling to reduce the threat of AI-driven bioterrorism, the Financial Times reported.
AI models are increasingly powerful bioscience tools, already speeding up drug discovery. But as with cybersecurity, those capabilities are dual-use: Information used to make a vaccine can also “create a bioweapon,” one Google DeepMind researcher told the FT, and any advances raise the risk of misuse.
An AI safety expert warned of “a ‘Mythos’ moment for AI and Bio,” referring to how Anthropic’s powerful model can find vulnerabilities in most software. Terrorist groups already employ AI, and while AI labs guard against dangerous use, it is harder to assess risks in bioscience than cybersecurity. “All it will take is one screw-up,” an immunologist warned.