AI Leaders and Biosecurity Experts Urge Mandatory Screening of All Synthetic DNA Orders, Sparking Innovation Concerns

An open letter released this week urges Congress to require screening for every order of synthetic DNA and RNA. The letter was organized by the Foundation for American Innovation and the Institute for Progress. Signatories include Sam Altman of OpenAI, Dario Amodei of Anthropic, Demis Hassabis of Google DeepMind, Mustafa Suleyman of Microsoft AI, Alexandr Wang of Meta, Patrick Collison of Stripe, and dozens of biosecurity experts.

The letter states that generative AI models now hold the institutional knowledge required to create biological agents and that the barriers preventing bad actors from acquiring bioweapons may simply vanish. The letter cites a Microsoft study showing AI created more than 75,000 hazardous protein variants that bypassed screening globally.

It calls for a single federal standard that would require synthetic biology companies to verify customer identities, screen genetic sequences for dangerous material, and maintain strict purchase logs.

The timing of the letter aligns with the Biosecurity Modernization and Innovation Act of 2026. Senators Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, and Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota, introduced the bill in February. The measure would mandate rigorous customer and order screening while carving out exemptions for harmless, routine research materials.

Twist Bioscience and Ansa Biotechnologies already screen orders voluntarily as members of the International Gene Synthesis Consortium. ” Researchers have demonstrated that public AI models can be coaxed into revealing actionable insights about weaponizing pathogens.

Synthetic biology companies print custom genetic sequences using nucleotides based on digital blueprints submitted through company websites and ship the physical material to customer addresses.

Opponents of screening legislation argue that identifying dangerous nucleic acid combinations is often subjective and that heavy compliance costs could stifle innovation. Previous screening bills have died in committee for these reasons. 02 percent of historical terrorist attacks.

Inhalation anthrax, if left untreated, carries a mortality rate near 100 percent. The 2001 anthrax mailings killed five people, infected dozens, and required three months and $27 million to decontaminate the Hart Senate Office Building. This is the second recent open letter from many of the same signatories.

An earlier letter warned that cutting-edge AI models are showing signs they could escape human control and called for coordinated international safeguards.