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The chief executives of OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google $GOOGL -0.73% DeepMind are among the signatories of an open letter calling on Congress to require mandatory screening of synthetic DNA and RNA orders to guard against the development of biological weapons.
Sam Altman of OpenAI, Dario Amodei of Anthropic, Demis Hassabis of Google DeepMind, and Mustafa Suleyman of Microsoft $MSFT -0.49% AI joined scientists, national security officials, and executives from gene synthesis companies in signing the letter, which was organized by the Foundation for American Innovation and the Institute for Progress. Other prominent signatories include Meta $META -0.72% Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang and Stripe CEO Patrick Collison.
Central to the letter's argument is the concern that AI is advancing quickly enough to dismantle the technical obstacles that have long kept biological weapons out of reach for most bad actors, including claims that AI systems can now match PhD-level virologists on technical laboratory questions. Among its demands: that anyone selling or manufacturing synthetic nucleic acids be required to vet the sequences being ordered, confirm that buyers are who they claim to be, and keep comprehensive records of purchases. The letter also contends that documentation of transactions would give authorities a way to pursue any dangerous orders that slip through the screening process.
