Top executives from competing AI companies have united to press US lawmakers for stronger biosecurity rules, warning that artificial intelligence could lower the barrier for bad actors seeking to develop biological weapons. In an open letter published in June 2026, the group urged Congress to require mandatory screening of synthetic DNA and RNA purchases — genetic material that can be ordered online and assembled in a lab.
Signatories include Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman, alongside Meta’s AI chief Alexandr Wang and Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, who received the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on AI-based protein prediction. Prominent scientists, national security experts, policy specialists, and executives from synthetic biology companies Twist Bioscience and Ansa Biotechnologies also signed. The letter was organized by two think tanks: the Foundation for American Innovation and the Institute for Progress.
The letter’s central concern is that AI tools could make it easier to design dangerous genetic sequences, order them from manufacturers, and deploy them in ways that previously required specialized expertise and resources. Experts also warn that AI could be used to develop other threats, including chemical weapons.
While many major synthetic DNA and RNA providers already screen orders, the letter notes this is done voluntarily rather than by legal requirement. The signatories are calling for mandatory screening and detailed record-keeping to track any threats that evade initial checks.
Scientists have long cautioned that advances in synthetic biology could enable the engineering of dangerous organisms or the revival of extinct pathogens. The letter argues that as biological tools become cheaper and AI models more capable, existing safeguards may no longer be sufficient.
“Given the pace at which the underlying technology is changing, we believe the need is urgent,” the letter states. “This is a rare moment of agreement across stakeholders that are often at odds. We hope policymakers will meet it with decisive action.”
Source: The Verge