CEOs of major AI companies, including OpenAI's Sam Altman, Anthropic's Dario Amodei, and Google DeepMind's Demis Hassabis, have signed a public letter urging Congress to pass laws requiring synthetic DNA and RNA providers to screen customers and orders to prevent the development of biological weapons. The letter warns that rapid AI advancements are eroding the knowledge barriers that have historically kept dangerous biological agents out of bad actors' hands, making it easier to design harmful pathogens using large language models. While some voluntary screening measures already exist, signatories argue that stronger federal regulations and additional safeguards from AI companies themselves are needed to close critical gaps.
