AI Company CEOs Call for Laws Requiring Gene Synthesis Providers to Screen Orders and Customers

CEOs from Google DeepMind, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Microsoft AI, along with scientists and executives from gene synthesis companies Twist Bioscience and Ansa Biotechnologies, signed a public letter organized by the Institute for Progress and Foundation for American Innovation calling for laws requiring companies that sell synthetic DNA and RNA to screen customers and orders to prevent misuse of genetic material.

Gene synthesis has become automated and inexpensive since Arthur Kornberg first successfully synthesized DNA in the 1950s. A 2017 example showed Canadian researchers used $100,000 worth of mail-order DNA to reconstitute the extinct horsepox virus, demonstrating that similar methods could construct dangerous pathogens. AI tools can now help users identify where to order unscreened genetic sequences and how to modify orders to evade detection.

Federal guidelines introduced during the Biden administration require scientists and companies receiving federal funding to order synthetic gene sequences from screened providers. A bipartisan Senate bill introduced earlier this year would require all gene synthesis providers operating in the US to screen orders and customers. However, screening tools are imperfect—Microsoft researchers published a study showing AI protein design tools generated potentially dangerous gene sequences that bypassed companies' screening software.