The AI Pandemic Isn’t On Its Way
Yet plenty of others might be, thanks to evolution.
TL;DR
- An AI model was trained on DNA sequences to design novel, functional viruses, some of which killed bacteria.
- This development has sparked fears of AI being used to create pathogens harmful to humans, potentially leading to outbreaks.
- While AI could speed up virus manipulation, many infectious disease experts believe naturally occurring viruses present a more immediate pandemic risk.
- Creating dangerous human viruses with AI is hindered by a lack of fundamental scientific understanding about what makes viruses highly transmissible and virulent.
- Current AI models are limited by the quality and completeness of the data they are trained on, particularly regarding complex pathogenic mechanisms.
- Safeguards like restricting training data to benign viruses and limiting access to powerful models are being considered.
- Human manipulation of viral genetics ('gain of function' research) has long been possible without AI and carries its own controversies.