OpenAI, one of the global leaders in advanced artificial intelligence systems development, issued a serious and proactive warning on June 21, 2025, about the growing risks of future, more powerful generations of AI models being used to create bioweapons. As reported by Axios, citing an official company statement, as AIs capabilities in understanding complex biological and chemical processes grow exponentially, the barrier for malicious actors who might attempt to use these technologies for nefarious purposes is significantly lowered. This public statement from a world-leading AI lab starkly highlights the so-called "dual-use" problem of powerful technologies: the same AI that can revolutionize drug discovery and disease treatment could potentially be used to design new, more dangerous pathogens. Instead of silencing this complex issue, OpenAI announced concrete steps to address it. The company plans to organize a major international conference next month, inviting government representatives from various countries, leading biosecurity experts, and non-governmental organization (NGO) representatives. The conferences goal will be to jointly develop technical and policy "guardrails," as well as security and monitoring protocols, to prevent such threats. This move by OpenAI is seen by analysts as an important act of corporate responsibility and an attempt to lead the global discussion on one of the most serious existential risks associated with AI development.
OpenAI Warns of Risk of AI Being Used to Create Bioweapons
