OpenAI and Anthropic Sign Letter to Prevent AI-Developed Biological Weapons

OpenAI and Anthropic co-sign a letter urging Congress to require synthetic DNA and RNA sellers to screen customers and orders. The letter warns AI-driven genetic design could lower barriers for bad actors to build biological weapons. Companies selling custom genetic sequences now offer automated DNA printing for research, drug development, and diagnostics. A 2017 case showed $100,000 in mail-order DNA was used to reconstruct horsepox, raising concerns about smallpox-like pathogens.