Leading managers from the pharma and tech industries are raising alarms over potential misuse of AI and gene technology for biological weapons.
In Munich and Berlin warnings were issued on Wednesday about the real dangers linked to advances in artificial intelligence and genetic engineering. Bioweapons, meaning manipulated viruses and bacteria, could become easier to produce as a result.
Stéphane Bancel, CEO of the US vaccine maker Moderna, said in an interview with Handelsblatt: “That viruses or bacteria become more contagious or even deadly through modification has already happened.” He added that many labs are not consciously advancing the manipulation because they “fear a Frankenstein virus.”
The industry is now calling for countermeasures, including tracking of DNA sequences manufactured in laboratories. The warning comes against the backdrop of science-fiction scenarios such as those depicted in the latest James Bond film “No Time to Die.”
