Kevin Esvelt

May 8, 2024 | statnews.com | Kevin Esvelt

It should be hard — exceedingly hard — to obtain the synthetic DNA needed to recreate the virus that caused the deadly 1918 influenza pandemic without authorization. But my lab found that it’s surprisingly easy, even when ordering gene fragments from companies that check customers’ orders to detect hazardous sequences. Our experiment demonstrates that the immense potential benefits of biotechnology are profoundly vulnerable to misuse.

Feb 9, 2024 | latecomermag.com | Niko McCarty |Kevin Esvelt |Ben Mueller |Vaishnav Sunil

The Cell Is Not a Computer There is a self-reinforcing feedback loop within science: models of reality are proposed, and experimental tools and methods are created to test those models. Tools dictate what can be discovered, and our models determine which tools are made to begin with. Theoretical models are often useful for a long time, until their fundamental limitations are recognized.

Dec 14, 2023 | euronews.com | Kevin Esvelt |Benjamin Mueller

AI regulation has become an area of inter-state competition. While the EU just reached a deal on the AI Act, the US has previously released a far-reaching executive order on AI, and the UK convened political and industry leaders at the AI Safety Summit. In many of these discussions, one risk is getting more attention: AI-assisted bioterrorism, or the ability of individuals to cause catastrophe by using AI tools to get access to a pandemic virus.

Dec 14, 2023 | ca.news.yahoo.com | Kevin Esvelt |Benjamin Mueller

Brussels should know AI-assisted bioterrorism is a risk worth consideringAI regulation has become an area of inter-state competition. While the EU just reached a deal on the AI Act, the US has previously released a far-reaching executive order on AI, and the UK convened political and industry leaders at the AI Safety Summit.

Nov 27, 2023 | onlinelibrary.wiley.com | Anna Clark |Rey Edison |Kevin Esvelt |Sebastian Kamau

1 INTRODUCTION Invasive vertebrates pose a major global threat to natural ecosystems (Norbury et al., 2013), economies (Latham et al., 2020) and human health (Tait et al., 2017). Management of these pests can be achieved through either lethal measures or birth control. Traditional physical and chemical pest control approaches typically rely on lethality, often in ways that raise animal welfare concerns (Kirk et al., 2020; Littin et al., 2004).