Overview
- The open letter, signed by top AI leaders and biosecurity experts and published on Thursday, June 4, asks Congress to require every U.S. seller of synthetic DNA and RNA to screen orders for 'sequences of concern' and verify customer legitimacy.
- Signers include OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis, Microsoft AI’s Mustafa Suleyman, executives from Twist Bioscience and Ansa Biotechnologies, and dozens of scientists and policy experts.
- The push responds to documented gaps in voluntary screening: Microsoft Research published work showing AI-designed protein sequences can evade commercial filters, demonstrating how models could help users find or modify orders to bypass checks.
- Policy context is shifting but incomplete because a recent presidential executive order emphasized voluntary AI model review and cybersecurity steps while a bipartisan Senate bill and prior Biden guidance stop short of a universal legal mandate.
- If enacted, mandatory screening and recordkeeping would raise compliance costs for small synthesis vendors, likely drive demand for screening technology, and create traceability that policymakers say would deter misuse and aid investigations.