Experts studying advances in artificial intelligence are now warning that AI models could create the next “enhanced pathogens that could cause a major epidemic or pandemic.”
The declaration is Written on paper According to a paper published in Science by co-authors from Johns Hopkins, Stanford and Fordham Universities, the AI model ” [are] From speeding up drug and vaccine design to improving crop yields, vast amounts of biological data can be manipulated in meaningful ways.”
“However, as with any powerful new technology, such biological models carry substantial risks. Because of their versatility, the same biological models that enable the design of benign viral vectors for delivering gene therapy may also be used to design more pathogenic viruses capable of evading vaccine-induced immunity,” the researchers wrote in their summary.
“Voluntary efforts among developers to evaluate the potential hazards of biological models are meaningful and important, but are not sufficient,” the paper continues. “We suggest that national governments, including the U.S., enact legislation and establish mandatory regulations to prevent advanced biological models from contributing significantly to large-scale hazards, such as the creation of novel or enhanced pathogens that could cause large-scale epidemics or pandemics.”
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People line up to get tested for coronavirus in Washington, DC, December 2021. A new paper published in Science magazine warns of the potential risks of biological AI models. (Ting Sheng/Xinhua via Getty Images)
While today's AI models likely don't “contribute significantly” to biological risks, “the essential elements for creating advanced biological models of great concern already exist or may soon exist,” Time quoted the study authors as saying.
They reportedly recommended that the government create a “battery of tests” that biological AI models must undergo before they are released to the public, after which authorities can decide how much access to the models should be restricted.
“We need to have a plan now,” said Anita Cicero, associate director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and one of the study's co-authors. According to Time magazine. “In the future, we're going to need some structured government oversight and requirements to mitigate the risks of particularly powerful tools.”
Cicero reportedly added that without proper oversight, biological risks from AI models could become a reality “within the next 20 years, maybe much less than that.”
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“The same biological models that allow the design of benign viral vectors for delivering gene therapy may potentially be used to engineer more pathogenic viruses capable of evading vaccine-induced immunity,” the authors wrote. (iStock)
“If you're asking: Can AI be used to engineer a pandemic? 100% yes. And in terms of how far out we should be concerned, I think AI is advancing at a rate that most people don't expect,” Paul Powers, an AI expert and CEO of Fizna, a company that uses computers to analyze 3D models and geometric objects, told Fox News Digital.
“The problem is that it's not just governments and large corporations that have access to these increasingly powerful capabilities, but individuals and small businesses as well,” he continued, but pointed out that “the problem with regulation here is, first of all, everyone wants a global set of rules on this, but the reality is that it's enforced domestically. Secondly, regulation is not moving at the speed of AI. Regulation can't even keep up with the technology at its traditional speed.”
“What they're proposing is to have the government approve certain AI training models and certain AI applications, but the reality is, how do you oversee that?” Powers said.
A child receives the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on May 13, 2021, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. (Jeff Kowalski/AFP via Getty Images)
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“Certain nucleic acids are essentially the building blocks of potential pathogens and viruses,” Powers added. “I would start there… by really policing who has access to the building blocks in the first place.”
