An AI experiment generated 40,000 hypothetical bioweapons in just 6 hours

The cutting-edge number-crunching capabilities of artificial intelligence mean that AI systems are able to spot diseases early, manage chemical reactions, and explain some of the mysteries of the Universe. But there's a downside to this incredible and virtually limitless artificial brainpower.

New research emphasizes how easily AI models can be trained for malicious purposes as well as good, specifically in this case to imagine the designs for hypothetical bioweapon agents. A trial run with an existing AI identified 40,000 such bioweapon chemicals in the space of only six hours.

In the experiment, the toxic molecules were kept rather than eliminated. What's more, the model was also trained to put these molecules together in combinations – which is how so many hypothetical bioweapons were generated in so short a time.

In particular, the researchers trained the AI with molecules in databases of drug-like molecules, instructing that they'd like something similar to the potent nerve agent VX.

As it turned out, a lot of the generated compounds were even more toxic than VX. As a result, the authors behind the new study are keeping some of the details of their research secret, and have seriously debated whether or not to make these results public at all.

The researchers say their experiment serves as a warning of the dangers of artificial intelligence – and it's a warning that humanity would do well to heed.

They say greater awareness, stronger guidelines, and tighter regulation in the research community could help us to avoid the perils of where these AI capabilities might otherwise lead.