The RAND Corporation has released a report warning that artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots could be used to facilitate biological attacks by providing advice on how to conceal the true purpose of the purchase of anthrax, smallpox and plague bacteria. 

The research team conducted tests on LLMs – although it did not reveal which ones – that it accessed through an application programming interface (API), similar to that of OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Bard.

In one instance, the researchers asked LLMs about which biological weapons could create a plague pandemic scenario and talked to the system about potential agents, as well as considering budget and success factors. The LLM answered by identifying potential biological agents – including those that cause smallpox, anthrax and plague – and discussed their relative chances of causing mass death.

The LLM also assessed the possibility of obtaining plague-infested rodents or fleas and transporting live...