The common cause that united AI rivals

OpenAI and Anthropic have finally come together. And all it took was a little bioterrorism fear.

Last week, Sam Altman and Dario Amodei joined more than 70 leaders in signing an open letter to Congress. The group called for mandatory screening and recordkeeping of synthetic nucleic acids.

Or in layman’s terms, they want the government to track any genetic material that could be used for biological weapons.

Think of it like a pharmacy. Prescriptions are logged, patients are verified, and orders are connected back to the prescribing doctor. All before the medication changes hands. There are multiple points of oversight and a solid paper trail. 

Synthetic DNA and RNA purchases would work in a similar way. This would allow regulators to spot patterns and flag suspicious orders before it's too late.

Let’s break it down:

Synthetic DNA is genetic material that’s created in a lab, not derived from a living organism. It has plenty of legit purposes, like research and drug development. But as with many powerful tools, there’s a potential dark side. 

That risk came to light in 2017. Canadian researchers spent $100,000 on mail-order DNA, then used it to rebuild the extinct horsepox virus (aka: smallpox’s less lethal cousin.) 

And if it could happen with horsepox, it could happen with something much scarier. *Gulp*

AI isn’t slowing down, so its builders are asking for guardrails. Not only would these precautions protect the public, as the letter to Congress states: “awareness of traceability itself deters misuse.”

After all, the internet has taught us that trolls love anonymity. Ask people to sign their name and they suddenly behave better.

Idk about you, but I’ve had enough global pandemics for one lifetime. - TL