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Ordering DNA for AI-designed toxins doesn’t always raise red flags.
Designing variations of the complex, three-dimensional structures of proteins has been made a lot easier by AI tools.
Historical / Contributor
On Thursday, a team of researchers led by Microsoft announced that they had discovered, and possibly patched, what they’re terming a biological zero-day—an unrecognized security hole in a system that protects us from biological threats. The system at risk screens purchases of DNA sequences to determine when someone’s ordering DNA that encodes a toxin or dangerous virus. But, the researchers argue, it has become increasingly vulnerable to missing a new threat: AI-designed toxins.
