Dual-use research of concern (DURC) refers to useful research that can be easily diverted to harm the health and safety of the public.
AI, ML, and 3D printing technologies can discover and predict whether chemicals are suitable for use as weapons, produce them on the right scale, optimally weaponize them, and store them safely. Pharmaceutical aerosol technology with agricultural spray drones for transporting chemical and biological weapons in the air will have catastrophic consequences.
An article entitled “Dual Use of Artificial Intelligence Drug Discovery” at Nature Machine Intelligence on March 7, 2022 by a team of Fabio Urbana and Collaborations Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Raleigh, NC) raises existing concerns about drug discovery Attention is gathering. Software with artificial intelligence and machine learning can be exploited to discover new deadly biochemical weapons, are difficult to detect and track, and have no known antidotes. In this study, they used the commercially available de novo molecule generator “MegaSyn” to change the approach of selecting toxic molecules, especially those such as nerve agents VX and Novichok, rather than discarding them. Within 6 hours, it produced 40,000 known and unknown nerve gas molecules, such as VX, which met the desired threshold for neurotoxicity. It is easier to find a highly toxic chemical than to find an effective and safe remedy and optimize its manufacture and delivery.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a simulation of human intelligence using a network like an electronic neural network on a powerful computer. Such AI capabilities to learn and solve problems are used in natural language processing, speech recognition, face recognition such as machine vision, and expert systems such as IBM Watson, in addition to simplifying and accelerating drug discovery. .. IBM Watson has been used to provide personalized recommendations to cancer patients. AI is very useful for analyzing big data like commerce, such as optimizing products, inventory, logistics, etc.
Machine learning (ML) simulates human experience by performing iterative tasks to improve performance and results. The drug discovery platform uses AI and ML to study the mechanism of action of known drug molecules and their active moieties to discover more effective drug molecules with desirable effects and no undesired reactions. increase.
Dual-use studies of concern (DURC) are informative studies that can be easily diverted to harm public health and safety, plants and crops, commercial and other animals, the environment or national security. This usually refers to life science research such as the Gain of Function research that can be used to create viruses such as Covid-19, but the discovery of highly toxic chemicals, the engineering of deadly autonomous weapons and robots, Other areas such as the use of information technology such as Deep are also included. -Incorrect information and fake for war. Nuclear technology was weaponized during World War II, and space technology is now weaponized.
Weaponized AI, ML, and 3D printing allow rogue nations and non-state organizations such as terrorists and criminals to deliver tens of thousands of toxic molecules in hours, as reported by Fabio Urbina and the team in the article above. Can be designed. Many chemical weapons exist, their development, stockpiling, transfer, and use have been banned since World War I, and restrictions have been tightened since 1993, but secret research and development continues. .. With drug and chemical discovery software, AI and ML can simplify and expedite the discovery of highly toxic and difficult-to-follow chemicals without known antidotes or cures. 3D printing technology makes it easy to secretly synthesize and manufacture chemicals. These technologies can discover and predict whether a chemical is suitable for use as a weapon, manufacture it on the right scale, optimally weaponize it, and store it safely. These chemicals can be delivered orally, usually in water or liquid, through the skin, or inhaled as a gas or aerosol. Drug aerosol research has helped deliver drugs deep into the lungs of asthmatics. Such techniques that produce aerosols with a size of 2 micrometers when used in combination with agricultural spray drones to transport chemical and biological weapons in the air will have devastating consequences.
Dr. PS Venkatesh Rao is a consultant for endocrine, mammary and laparoscopy in Bangalore.
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