"How AI could spark the next pandemic"

AI like ChatGPT, once known for providing detailed instructions on dangerous activities, are being reevaluated after a study showed these systems could potentially be manipulated into suggesting harmful biological weaponry methods.

Concerns About AI Providing Dangerous Information: The initial concerns stem from a study at MIT. Here, groups of undergraduates with no biology background were able to get AI systems to suggest methods for creating biological weapons. The chatbots suggested potential pandemic pathogens, their creation methods, and even where to order DNA for such a process. While constructing such weapons requires significant skill and knowledge, the easy accessibility of this information is concerning.

• The AI systems were initially created to provide information and detailed supportive coaching.
• However, there are potential dangers when these AI systems provide guidance on harmful activities.
• This issue brings up the question of whether 'security through obscurity' is a sustainable method for preventing atrocities in a future where information access is becoming easier.

Controlling Information in an AI World: Addressing this problem can be approached from two angles. Firstly, it should be more difficult for AI systems to give detailed instructions on building bioweapons. Secondly, the security flaws that AI systems inadvertently revealed, such as certain DNA synthesis companies not screening orders, should be addressed.

• All DNA synthesis companies could be required to conduct screenings in all cases.
• Potentially harmful papers could be removed from the training data for AI systems.
• More caution could be exercised when publishing papers with recipes for building deadly viruses.
• These measures could help control the amount of harmful information AI systems can access and distribute.

Positive Developments in Biotech: Positive actors in the biotech world are beginning to take these threats seriously. One leading synthetic biology company, Ginkgo Bioworks, has partnered with US intelligence agencies to develop software that can detect engineered DNA on a large scale. This indicates how cutting-edge technology can be used to counter the potentially harmful effects of such technology.

• The software will provide investigators with the means to identify an artificially generated germ.
• Such alliances demonstrate how technology can be used to mitigate the risks associated with it.

Managing Risks from AI and Biotech: Both AI and biotech have the potential to be beneficial for the world. Managing the risks associated with one can also help manage risks from the other. Therefore, ensuring the difficulty in synthesizing deadly plagues protects against certain forms of AI catastrophes.

• The important point is to stay proactive and prevent detailed instructions for bioterror from becoming accessible online.
• Preventing the creation of biological weapons should be difficult enough to deter anyone, whether aided by AI systems like ChatGPT or not.

Source (Vox)
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