Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, Demis Hassabis and Mustafa Suleyman rarely have much reason to sign the same letter. This week they did, joining a call for Congress to require companies that sell synthetic DNA and RNA to screen customers and orders.
The concern is the meeting point of two trends. AI models can lower the knowledge barrier for designing dangerous biological agents, while gene synthesis services make it easier to order the physical material. The letter argues that voluntary screening is no longer enough: vendors should be legally required to check who is ordering and what sequences they are buying, and to keep records.
The request is notable because it comes from the companies whose models may be lowering that knowledge barrier. The proposed control point is not speech or model access, but the supply chain for biological material. The signers include AI executives, Stanford microbiologist David Relman and Twist Bioscience's James Diggans, giving the push an unusual mix of AI, biosecurity and industry support.
Sources：DNYUZ coverage, the screendna.org open letter and Science reporting on AI-designed toxins and synthesis screening; CocoLoop