AI extinction risk: why scientists fear bioweapons

A growing number of technologists and policymakers fear artificial intelligence could cause human extinction, with a lead researcher at Anthropic recently estimating a greater than 10 percent chance AI kills all humans within a decade. The threat centers on AI making bioweapons more powerful and easier to build, potentially enabling amateurs to engineer known viruses or helping experts create novel superviruses. Recent studies show chatbots can provide bioweapons instructions, while DNA synthesis companies often lack rigorous screening. Governments can mitigate risks from both natural and artificial pathogens by investing in pandemic preparedness, including broad-spectrum vaccines, wastewater surveillance, and mandatory screening of synthetic-DNA orders.