The CEOs of some of the world’s biggest AI companies have put aside their cutthroat rivalry to co-sign an open letter to Congress asking for more protections against the threat their own technology has helped create.
The CEOs of Anthropic, OpenAI, and Microsoft AI, Dario Amodei, Sam Altman, and Mustafa Suleman, signed their names to a public letter to Congress. The letter, signed by dozens of experts in the life sciences and national security fields, was organized by the conservative-leaning think tank the Foundation for American Innovation and the nonpartisan Institute for Progress.
The letter specifically asks Congress to mandate screening for companies selling synthetic DNA and RNA, which the letter’s authors argue could be used to create AI-assisted bioweapons. Notably, some of the companies that manufacture these products, such as Twist Bioscience and Ansa Biotechnologies, have also signed the letter, saying at least part of the industry welcomes the regulation.
“AI systems are rapidly improving, and with incredible benefits for science and medicine, there is a real opportunity to meaningfully erode the knowledge barriers that have historically prevented bad actors from acquiring biological weapons,” the letter reads.
Companies that sell synthetic DNA and RNA already do some screening voluntarily. Companies selling these synthetics must keep records of their orders, as well as the exact specifications of the products sold, in an effort to help with potential biosafety investigations, Congress is asking.
The letter comes as improved AI models continue to spread to more and more people globally and at an exponential rate. According to a Stanford University study from earlier this year, AI tools that produce more than either the PC or the Internet have reached 53% of the world’s population in just three years. At the same time, experts have found that publicly available AI models can provide information on how biological weapons can be developed and disseminated. The New York Times reported earlier this month.
A silent threat
Governments have long recognized the need to protect against deadly biological weapons. Biological agents are rarely used in terrorist attacks, accounting for just 0.02% of all historical attacks, according to a study in a peer-reviewed publication. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine. However, because they are often odorless, colorless, and in some cases highly contagious, they pose a unique threat to Americans.
Biological agents such as anthrax are particularly dangerous. When inhaled, anthrax has an almost 100% fatality rate without treatment. In 2001, five people died and 22 were infected when a microbiologist and former employee of the Army’s Biosecurity Laboratory sent several anthrax-laced letters to two U.S. senators and several news organizations. The attacks that followed 9/11 prompted one of the largest FBI investigations ever.
Some laws already exist to protect Americans against man-made biological threats. The Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989 makes it illegal to develop or possess biological agents for use as weapons, punishable by up to life in prison. After the 2001 anthrax attacks, the Patriot Act expanded the 1989 law to make it easier to prosecute those in possession of dangerous biological agents even without apparent evidence of having developed a weapon.
Congress has already made some progress in improving safeguards surrounding the sale of synthetic DNA and RNA. In February, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) introduced the Biosafety Modernization and Innovation Act of 2026, with the aim of mandating that sellers of these synthetic products provide “clear and non-hazardous safety and non-threatening” exemptions to their orders and their customers.
As the bill slowly moves through Congress, said Josh Wentzel, a senior fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation. Good luck This letter is a good opportunity to show lawmakers that companies that sell synthetic DNA and RNA and companies that sell synthetic DNA and RNA are equally concerned about this issue.
“It’s bipartisan, concrete, achievable and non-controversial,” Wentzel said, adding that now that Congress sees these parties aligned, it can move forward with passing the Biosafety Modernization and Innovation Act. “This is a goal among many national security experts and, importantly, the nucleic acid synthesis industry itself is calling for.”
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