Anthropic reported five cases of people using its AI models to support biological weapons development, highlighting how AI is eroding barriers that historically made bioweapons rare by connecting expertise across fields that few researchers master alone. State-sponsored programs in Russia, North Korea, China, and Iran possess offensive biological capabilities, and AI could expand both state programs and non-state actors' ability to design novel pathogens, while synthetic DNA ordering safeguards remain inadequate.
Bill Gates warns that unregulated AI could cause 'a billion deaths' and calls for US federal legislation and law enforcement oversight of AI development, arguing that industry self-regulation is insufficient. He echoes concerns from other tech leaders that AI in malicious hands poses unprecedented risks, while Microsoft faces criticism for providing AI tools used by military forces in Gaza and for immigration enforcement.