Global Biodefense How artificial intelligence is changing the risk landscape for bioterrorism—and what global health security stakeholders must do next. As artificial intelligence (AI) systems rapidly integrate into everyday life and scientific enterprise, a new frontier of biosecurity risk has emerged—one where malicious actors may exploit generative AI to design, synthesize, and deploy bioweapons. A recent law review article by Janelle Radcliffe, published in the William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review, warns that AI-facilitated bioterrorism is not a hypothetical future threat—it is a present danger requiring urgent attention from governments, public health institutions, and global security stakeholders.
The Rising Risk: How AI Supercharges Bioterrorism
Radcliffe’s analysis underscores that while bioterrorism—defined as the deliberate release of harmful biological agents—has long posed a threat, AI significantly lowers the technical and informational barriers to executing such attacks. Platforms like ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs) are now widely accessible and can, intentionally or unintentionally, provide step-by-step information on how to produce biotoxins, evade detection, or weaponize pathogens.