Why AI Isn’t Likely to Wipe Out Humanity With Bioweapons
Of all the threats presented by uncontrollable artificial intelligence, scientists say death by plague ranks low.
The idea that artificial intelligence could unleash a deadly bioweapon has gained attention recently. AI CEOs have called for new laws to control the manufacturing of synthetic DNA, and researchers have shown that AI can design new viral genomes. However, many scientists argue that the risk of AI creating bioweapons is relatively low.
David Bellamy, a research scientist at the Institute of Foundation Models, believes that AI is essentially a tool that can help both good and bad actors access information more quickly. The real bottleneck in producing bioweapons is the process of assembling a virus, which requires raw materials, equipment, and knowledge that are difficult to obtain.
Ginkgo Bioworks CEO Jason Kelly also believes it's unlikely that an artificial general intelligence could commandeer and disseminate existing pathogens or engineer new ones. Even if an AGI managed to unleash a supervirus, immunologist Derya Unutmaz argues that humans would be able to develop a vaccine using other AI systems. While some experts are concerned about bad actors using AI for bioterrorism, they believe that existing pathogens would be a more practical choice.
Genetic biologist Francois Belloux notes that biological warfare is not an attractive option due to the difficulty in targeting specific groups and the logistical challenges of production and distribution. Despite the concern, Steph Guerra from the Rand Corporation suggests that the risk of AI-assisted bioterrorism should be taken seriously, and governments should adopt laws requiring firms to screen custodians of synthetic DNA and RNA.
Written by urgent.news from Wired Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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