Nature An evaluation published in Nature journal revealed that AI-powered biological design tools are beginning to reach the capacity to design many biological agents, from deadly toxins to next-generation viruses. Prof. Muhsin Konuk, Faculty Member of Molecular Biology and Genetics (English) and Advisor to the Rector, drew attention to the fact that the use of artificial intelligence in the production of biological weapons is considered one of today's most tangible and urgent national security threats.
Stating that AI-powered biotechnologies have a dual-use structure, and while these technologies accelerate vaccine and drug development processes on one hand, they can also facilitate access to information on dangerous pathogens for malicious actors on the other hand, Prof. Konuk said, “While AI can assist in designing a virus that could destroy humanity, it can also provide the means to develop a vaccine or antidote against that virus within hours.”
While the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence technologies in the fields of health, drug development, and biotechnology are increasing daily, the possibility of the same technologies being used for biological weapon development is becoming a growing source of concern in the scientific community. A comprehensive evaluation published in Nature journal revealed that AI-powered biological design tools are beginning to reach the capacity to design many biological agents, from deadly toxins to next-generation viruses.
Prof. Muhsin Konuk, Advisor to the Rector of Üsküdar University and Faculty Member of Molecular Biology and Genetics (English), evaluated the malicious use of artificial intelligence technologies.
Attention to the use of artificial intelligence in the production of biological weapons!
Stating that AI-powered biotechnologies have become one of the most important national and global security topics today, Prof. Muhsin Konuk said, “The use of artificial intelligence in the production of biological weapons is considered one of today's most tangible and urgent national security threats by global security experts and technology leaders. In fact, leading AI companies and scientists are calling for urgent legal measures to be taken against this threat.”
Information access barriers are rapidly disappearing
Prof. Konuk, also addressing the mechanisms by which artificial intelligence increases the biological weapon risk, the solutions it brings, and the measures taken, said, “One of the main factors escalating the threat is the erosion of the information barrier. Historically, producing a biological weapon required advanced virology knowledge, laboratory experience, and access to secret formulas. Today's AI models perform better than PhD-level virologists, making the steps for amateur or malicious actors to produce dangerous pathogens understandable.”
New pathogens not found in nature can be designed
Emphasizing that the power of artificial intelligence in biological data analysis and protein modeling can also pave the way for the emergence of unprecedented biological threats, Prof. Konuk stated, “Artificial intelligence (especially models performing protein folding and biological data analysis) can design new artificial viruses, toxins, or bacteria not found in nature, completely resistant to vaccines or existing drugs.”
It can facilitate overcoming supply chain barriers
Stating that artificial intelligence not only generates theoretical knowledge but also facilitates logistical processes, Prof. Konuk said, “Artificial intelligence facilitates overcoming physical supply chain barriers by providing guidance on how dangerous materials can be ordered without detection or how laboratory equipment can be optimized.”
Synthetic DNA orders must be strictly controlled
Noting that new measures are being developed in the field of biosecurity worldwide, Prof. Konuk said, “Screening synthetic DNA and RNA orders is important. AI giants and think tanks demand that synthetic DNA orders, also used in vaccine production, be subjected to strict control. The aim is to prevent dangerous gene sequences from being ordered and falling into the wrong hands.”
Prof. Konuk, also pointing to the legal regulations developed, said, “The European Union, in 2025, published the Biotech Act, defining synthetic nucleic acid sequences as ‘products of concern.’ Similarly, in the US, presidential executive orders focusing on artificial intelligence vulnerabilities and cybersecurity have come into force.”
Security filters are being added to artificial intelligence systems
Stating that scientists are trying to embed software protection mechanisms into artificial intelligence systems to prevent biological threats, Prof. Konuk concluded his words by saying, “Scientists are trying to integrate software firewalls (watermarking, audit trails) that directly prevent AI models from designing dangerous biological agents or toxins. Considering all this, a typical dual-use example can be given for biological artificial intelligence tools, similar to the use of dynamite. While artificial intelligence can assist in designing a virus that could destroy humanity, it can also provide the means to develop a vaccine or antidote against that virus within hours. In short, although the technology itself is not evil, unregulated open-source biological data sets are expanding biosecurity vulnerabilities.”
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