Experts: AI's nearer bioweapons risk is amplifying capable actors, not enabling amateurs
HaydnBelfield · x · 2026-10-16
Following MI5 chief Ken McCallum's warning that AI could "change the stakes" on bioweapons, the Guardian canvasses experts. King's College London's Filippa Lentzos argues the more immediate concern is not amateurs suddenly enabled but AI amplifying already-capable actors — well-resourced organizations that could use AI to find genetic tweaks making existing pathogens more lethal: "AI does not remove the need for expertise, it amplifies expertise that is already there." For garage-level actors, chatbots could help with information-gathering and troubleshooting, though significant hurdles remain. AI safety researcher Haydn Belfield endorsed the framing while worrying someone might mistakenly think bioweapons capability is now within reach.
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