Risks of creating biological weapons with AI help are real — Brazilian BWC official

MOSCOW, September 23. /TASS/. Risks of creating biological weapons using artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are real, Frederico Meyer, chairman of the Working Group on Strengthening the Convention on the Prohibition of Biological and Toxin Weapons (BWC), said on Wednesday.

According to Meyer, who also serves as permanent representative of Brazil to the Conference on Disarmament (CD), US technology company Anthropic recently announced that it had "detected and prevented several attempts by artificial intelligence to create biological weapons."

"This case illustrates how the combination of artificial intelligence and biotechnology can lower barriers to accessing and applying biological knowledge. At the same time, it boldly demonstrates the dual nature of these technologies," Meyer noted in his opening speech at a seminar on the national implementation of the Convention on the Prohibition of Biological and Toxin Weapons.

According to him, "this is exactly why the BWC must address these tasks in order to maintain and support the achievements of scientific and technical institutions, while ensuring the preservation of capabilities that would not facilitate actions prohibited by the Convention."

"This also highlights the urgency of our work and the importance of achieving positive results at the Working Group’s final session in December," Meyer concluded.