{
  "id": 6644081,
  "title": "Anthropic says it blocked misuse of its AI that could have supported biological weapons",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/anthropic-says-it-blocked-misuse-of-its-ai-that-could-have-supported",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-10T20:51:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CityNews",
    "slug": "citynews",
    "url": "https://toronto.citynews.ca/2026/09/10/anthropic-says-it-blocked-misuse-of-its-ai-that-could-have-supported-biological-weapons/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Anthropic, an artificial intelligence startup, has blocked attempts by malicious actors to utilize its AI models for harmful purposes, including cyberattacks, surveillance, and research potentially leading to biological weapons. As AI models become increasingly powerful, they can now create threats that were previously impossible, according to the company. To address this, Anthropic has implemented stronger safeguards within its latest models to restrict research that could be used for biological weapons. The company published a report detailing instances of misuse, including a request to use its AI to support the research of a virus to enhance its transmissibility and immune evasion properties. This gain-of-function research involved a chikungunya virus, which causes severe symptoms and disabling effects. While such research could lead to beneficial advancements, Anthropic warned it could also be used to create a more dangerous pathogen. The report reveals how malicious actors, ranging from spyware vendors to state-sponsored groups, abused Anthropic's AI models. One case involved an industrial-scale campaign to extract and replicate the model's capabilities without authorization. Anthropic has applied stronger safeguards to its more recent models, such as Claude Fable 5, to restrict access to a wide range of dual-use biological research queries.",
  "summary": "Anthropic said Thursday it has blocked efforts by bad actors to use its artificial intelligence models for malicious activity such as cyberattacks, surveillance, and research that could have led to biological weapons.",
  "key_points": [
    "Anthropic blocked misuse of AI for biological weapons research",
    "Requested AI use to enhance chikungunya virus transmissibility",
    "Stronger safeguards in latest models to restrict dual-use research"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": "https://urgent.news/ill/6644081.png",
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The New York Times",
        "title": "Anthropic Says It Blocked Possible Efforts to Build Biological Weapons",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/anthropic-says-it-blocked-possible-efforts-to-build-biological-weapons",
        "published": "2026-09-10T17:00:05.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Forbes",
        "title": "Anthropic Says It Blocked Possible Biological Weapons Undertaking",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/anthropic-says-it-blocked-possible-biological-weapons-undertaking",
        "published": "2026-09-10T18:06:41.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "Anthropic says scientists used AI for possible biological weapons development",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/anthropic-says-scientists-used-ai-for-possible-biological-weapons",
        "published": "2026-09-10T19:49:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CNBC",
        "title": "Anthropic says it blocked misuse of its AI that could have supported biological weapons",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/anthropic-says-it-blocked-misuse-of-its-ai-that-could-have-supported-6661056",
        "published": "2026-09-10T21:33:22.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Slashdot",
        "title": "Anthropic Says It Blocked Possible Efforts to Build Biological Weapons",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/anthropic-says-it-blocked-possible-efforts-to-build-biological-weapons-6650952",
        "published": "2026-09-10T22:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Financial Times",
        "title": "Anthropic says it blocked attempts to use AI for potential biological weapons",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/anthropic-says-it-blocked-attempts-to-use-ai-for-potential-biological",
        "published": "2026-09-10T22:27:10.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}