As someone who is pro-open-source, I do think that “AI isn’t useful for making bioweapons” is ultimately a losing argument, because AI is increasingly helpful at doing many different things, and I see no particular reason that the making-of-bioweapons would be an exception. However, that’s also true of many other technologies: good luck making your bioweapon without electric lighting, paper, computers, etc. It wouldn’t be reasonable to ban paper just because it’s handy in the lab notebook in a bioweapons lab.
What would be more persuasive is some evidence that AI is relatively more useful for making bioweapons than it is for doing things in general. It’s a bit hard for me to imagine that being the case, so if it turned out to be true, I’d need to reconsider my viewpoint.
What would be more persuasive is some evidence that AI is relatively more useful for making bioweapons than it is for doing things in general.
I see little reason to use that comparison rather than “will [category of AI models under consideration] improve offense (in bioterrorism, say) relative to defense?”
As someone who is pro-open-source, I do think that “AI isn’t useful for making bioweapons” is ultimately a losing argument, because AI is increasingly helpful at doing many different things, and I see no particular reason that the making-of-bioweapons would be an exception. However, that’s also true of many other technologies: good luck making your bioweapon without electric lighting, paper, computers, etc. It wouldn’t be reasonable to ban paper just because it’s handy in the lab notebook in a bioweapons lab.
What would be more persuasive is some evidence that AI is relatively more useful for making bioweapons than it is for doing things in general. It’s a bit hard for me to imagine that being the case, so if it turned out to be true, I’d need to reconsider my viewpoint.
I see little reason to use that comparison rather than “will [category of AI models under consideration] improve offense (in bioterrorism, say) relative to defense?”