Top AI executives including Sam Altman and Demis Hassabis are calling on Congress to mandate synthetic DNA screening, warning that AI systems now exceed PhD-level virologist capabilities and pose biosecurity risks.
A group of prominent tech leaders has urged the US government to establish legal requirements for screening synthetic DNA orders, citing advances in AI-powered biological research.
Signatories include OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis. They warn that current AI systems can now perform laboratory procedures at levels exceeding those of experienced PhD-level virologists, potentially enabling misuse for biological weapons development.
The concern centers on the democratization of virology knowledge. As AI coaching systems become more capable, they lower barriers to entry for individuals without formal training, creating dual-use risks. The technology that enables legitimate scientific research can also facilitate harmful applications.
The signatories are not calling for AI restrictions but rather for infrastructure controls. Mandatory screening of synthetic DNA orders—a measure already adopted by some commercial DNA synthesis providers—would create a checkpoint before potentially dangerous genetic material can be synthesized.
This approach mirrors existing biosecurity protocols in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors, where dual-use precursors are tracked and regulated. DNA synthesis screening works through databases that flag sequences matching known pathogens or dangerous biological agents.
The push reflects growing alignment between major AI companies and national security concerns. Rather than opposing regulation, these leaders are proposing targeted measures focused on the weakest point in a potential attack chain—the synthesis step itself.
Congress has not yet acted on such legislation, though biosecurity has gained increased attention in policy circles. The timing of this public letter suggests tech companies view DNA screening requirements as inevitable and prefer establishing standards proactively rather than through reactive enforcement.
The initiative highlights the tension between scientific openness and security. Making synthetic DNA screening mandatory would add friction to legitimate research but could meaningfully constrain bad-actor scenarios where advanced AI coaching combines with unscreened DNA synthesis.
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