AI Leaders and Nobel Laureates Urge Congress to Mandate Synthetic DNA Screening Amid Growing Biosecurity Concerns
核心洞察
A broad coalition of AI CEOs, Nobel laureates, and biotech leaders has called on US lawmakers to make screening and recordkeeping for synthetic nucleic acid orders mandatory.
The open letter warns that rapid advances in AI could meaningfully erode knowledge barriers that have historically prevented bad actors from obtaining biological weapons.
Signatories include Sam Altman (OpenAI (搜索)), Demis Hassabis (Google DeepMind (搜索)), Dario Amodei (Anthropic (搜索)), and leaders from synthetic DNA manufacturers like Twist Bioscience (搜索) and Ansa Biotechnologies (搜索).
A prominent coalition of artificial intelligence leaders, Nobel laureates, life sciences experts, and synthetic DNA manufacturers has issued an urgent open letter calling on US lawmakers to mandate screening and recordkeeping for synthetic nucleic acid orders. The letter, organized in part by the Foundation for American Innovation (FAI), argues that rapid advances in AI are adding new urgency to long-recognized vulnerabilities in the biotechnology supply chain.
The signatories include some of the most influential figures in AI and biotechnology: Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind (搜索) and 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry recipient; Sam Altman, CEO and co-founder of OpenAI (搜索); Dario Amodei, CEO and co-founder of Anthropic (搜索); Alexandr Wang, chief AI officer at Meta and founder of Scale AI; Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI (搜索); and Paul Graham, founder of Y Combinator. On the life sciences side, David Baker, director of the Institute for Protein Design and fellow 2024 Nobel laureate in Chemistry, also signed, alongside leaders from Twist Bioscience (搜索), Ansa Biotechnologies (搜索), and ATUM (搜索).
The Dual-Use Nature of Synthetic DNA
The ability to order synthetic DNA online has accelerated vaccine development, powered basic research, and made capabilities once confined to major institutions accessible to small teams. However, the letter notes that since the publication of protocols to reconstruct viruses from strands of DNA more than two decades ago, synthetic DNA has been recognized as a potential point of vulnerability where a bad actor could cause outsized harm.
In response to these concerns, synthesis companies formed the International Gene Synthesis Consortium (IGSC) in 2009 to develop and implement voluntary safeguards against misuse. James C. Diggans, vice president for policy and biosecurity at Twist Bioscience (搜索) and chair of the IGSC board of directors, is among the signatories.
AI's Escalating Role in Biosecurity Risk
The letter highlights a critical development: "AI systems now outperform PhD-level virologists on questions about highly technical laboratory procedures in their own domains of expertise." While acknowledging that evidence about what this means for present-day biosecurity threats is "genuinely mixed," the signatories warn that the trend is difficult to dispute.
"AI systems are improving rapidly, and alongside incredible benefits to science and medicine, there is a real possibility that the knowledge barriers which have historically prevented bad actors from obtaining biological weapons will meaningfully erode," the letter states.
Proposed Safeguards
The coalition is calling for three specific measures. First, providers of synthesized DNA and manufacturers of synthesis machines should screen orders for sequences of concern and verify customer legitimacy before shipping. Second, providers should maintain records of synthesis orders and sequence data to support legitimate biosecurity investigations. Third, these requirements should be made mandatory through legislation rather than remaining voluntary.
The letter emphasizes that recordkeeping would help trace threats that might evade initial screening, "including when individual sequences would not raise concern in isolation," and notes that "awareness of traceability itself deters misuse."
A Rare Consensus
The signatories stress that support for screening does not depend on any particular view of AI, arguing that the biosecurity case has been recognized by scientists and governments for decades. They describe screening as "one of the best understood and least disruptive biosecurity measures available."
Many of the largest providers in the industry already screen and record orders voluntarily. However, the coalition argues that mandatory requirements are needed as the underlying technology continues to advance. The letter also calls on states to consider implementing requirements based on existing federal and industry guidelines "to ensure a consistent national standard rather than a patchwork of conflicting laws."
"This is a rare moment of agreement across stakeholders that are often at odds," the letter concludes. "We hope policymakers will meet it with decisive action."
The full letter and signatory list can be found at screendna.org.