RAND report warns AI could enable deadly bioweapon development

A new report from RAND warns that artificial intelligence could lower technical and operational barriers for bad actors to design biological weapons. The report suggests that AI-enabled biotechnology could facilitate the creation of enhanced or novel pathogens, potentially leading to biological incidents ten times more devastating than the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a related development, Anthropic announced that its Claude AI successfully built proteins that locked onto 14 of 15 targets in a laboratory setting. While demonstrating advanced capabilities, the company acknowledged the inherent dangers of such research and stated it is restricting these specific AI capabilities from public access to prevent misuse in bioweapon development.

AI leaders from Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic have previously advocated for legislative action, urging Congress to require DNA and RNA sellers to screen buyers and maintain rigorous order records to mitigate these risks.