Artificial intelligence may be misused in the future to develop biological weapons. This may sound like science fiction but it has now become the focus of scientists, security authorities and international organizations.
Advances in biotechnology allow pathogens to be analyzed and modified with increasing precision. Thanks to artificial intelligence, large amounts of data can be analyzed more quickly. Therefore, experts warn that modern technologies may be misused in the long term to develop biological weapons.
The security services, in turn, are monitoring this development with concern. Ken MacCallum, head of the British domestic intelligence service MI5, warned in October 2026 that artificial intelligence may in the future increase the danger of existing biological weapons if they fall into the hands of non-state actors.
Biological weapons...a rising danger!
A report issued by Anthropic, an American AI company, last September shows how important this debate is right now. According to the company's information, several attempts were detected and blocked, as the researchers intended to use artificial intelligence in the context of possible research related to biological weapons. According to the report, these attempts included, among other things, funding requests for what is known as gain-of-function research and projects to study strains of bird flu that may be more transmissible to mammals.
At the same time, Anthropic stressed that such research can serve preventive medical purposes, but it may also serve offensive purposes. This thin line between legitimate scientific research and the possibility of misuse has become one of the biggest challenges associated with modern biotechnology.
What are biological weapons?
Biological weapons, along with nuclear and chemical weapons, belong to the group of so-called ABC weapons. They are also often classified as weapons of mass destruction. So the concern about biological weapons is not new at all. There are many components that can be used as biological agents including bacteria, viruses, fungi or some biological toxins.
Well-known examples include anthrax, plague, smallpox, or botulinum toxin. Anthrax is one of the most famous biological agents of warfare. These resistant germs can survive in the environment for a long time and have also been studied in government bioweapons programs.
Biological weapons usually consist of two components: the active biological agent itself and a system for its dissemination. Experts point to a biological "agent" such as viruses or bacteria and a "delivery mechanism". These systems include missiles, spraying systems, or contaminated food.
What is the difference between them and chemical weapons?
The difference between biological weapons and chemical weapons lies in how they work. Chemical weapons harm humans through the toxic effect of chemicals such as sarin or mustard gas. The effect often appears within seconds or minutes. Examples of this include poison gas attacks using chlorine gas and later mustard gas in World War I, or the use of the nerve agent sarin in the Syrian Civil War.
Biological weapons cause infectious diseases. Its effects may not appear until hours, days or weeks later. Some pathogens can also be transmitted from one person to another, making their consequences difficult to predict.
Chemical weapons simply work through their direct toxins while biological weapons cause disease. The possibility of human-to-human transmission is what makes biological weapons particularly difficult to estimate.
Are biological weapons banned globally?
Yes, biological weapons are internationally banned. The Biological Weapons Convention entered into force in 1975. It prohibits the development, manufacture, stockpiling, transfer and use of biological weapons and toxin-based weapons.
This agreement can be considered an extension of the Geneva Protocol of 1925, which prohibited the use of biological weapons only as a means of war. 189 countries have joined this agreement. Some countries, such as Egypt, Syria, and Israel, did not ratify or sign the treaty. While the countries that ratified the agreement are committed to destroying all their stocks, production facilities and means of transportation.
Chemical weapons, in turn, are internationally banned. The mechanisms for controlling them are considered more advanced. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) oversees the Chemical Weapons Convention. This organization can conduct inspections and monitor the destruction of chemical weapons stockpiles.
To date, there is no similar control system for biological weapons. States fear that inspections could lead to the disclosure of sensitive research data in the fields of medicine, pharmaceutical industry or biotechnology. Therefore, control of biological weapons depends to a large extent on transparency, voluntary reporting and trust.
One of the most famous examples that occurred in the United States in 2001 shows that a ban alone is not enough to prevent the use of these weapons: a few weeks after the September 11 attacks, letters containing anthrax spores were sent, leading to the death of five people and the injury of 18 others.
"Dual use"...the biggest challenge!
Detecting biological weapons programs is much more difficult than controlling nuclear or chemical weapons. Many of the technologies that can be used to develop biological weapons also have civilian applications. The same laboratory equipment used to develop vaccines or drugs could theoretically also be used in military research.
Experts talk about the problem of “dual use”: research can simultaneously serve peaceful, medical and military purposes.
In addition, a biological attack may initially appear to be a natural outbreak of a disease. It is often difficult to determine whether the causative agent was released intentionally or arose naturally, and requires extensive investigation.
Perhaps this is the reason behind the use of biological weapons throughout history. History books point to examples of poisoning wells or using dead bodies to spread epidemics, but the effectiveness of these methods in reality remains a matter of dispute.
Prepared in Arabic by: M.A.M
