Developing a Risk-Scoring Tool for Artificial Intelligence–Enabled Biological Design: A Method to Assess the Risks of Using Artificial Intelligence to Modify Select Viral Capabilities
Adeline E. Williams, Barbara Del Castello, Jeffrey Lee, Roberts, Derek, John Tarangelo, Jay Atanda, Alejandro Colman-Lerner, Jeff Gerold, Roger Brent · RAND Corporation eBooks · 2026
A rise in artificial intelligence (AI) use in biology has driven transformative developments in the field but could also pose significant dual-use risks. In this report, the authors identify five biological functions that could be modified using AI tools and develop a dual-component risk-scoring tool — combining biological modification risk factors with actor capability assessments — to evaluate the potential for misuse.