OpenAI, Anthropic and Other AI Giants Urge Congress to Mandate DNA Order Screening

Generative AI can help design proteins and analyze genetic sequences, but it could also lower the technical barriers to obtaining deadly pathogens. OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind and Microsoft therefore view the DNA synthesis supply chain as a critical line of defense. They argue that voluntary industry reviews are insufficient and that consistent standards must be established under federal law. No transaction value is involved.

Senior AI executives from the four companies recently sent a joint letter to the U.S. Congress calling for DNA synthesis providers to be required to verify customers’ identities and screen ordered sequences for links to regulated pathogens. The letter disclosed neither the exact date it was sent nor any monetary amount. Its central demand was for Congress to legislate swiftly to close gaps in the current voluntary rules and prevent malicious actors from using AI to design or obtain genetic material needed for biological weapons.