A flurry of studies has shown how AI tools can provide potentially dangerous information on bioweapons, raising questions about how artificial intelligence might help in their development and the hurdles that remain.
In tests, chatbots listed four potential pandemic pathogens within an hour, explained how to make them from synthetic DNA, and supplied names of DNA synthesis companies unlikely to screen orders.
Experts warned that certain virus work raised urgent biosafety and biosecurity questions, while the dual-use nature of biological research can make it difficult to distinguish valuable work protecting health from bioweapon attempts.