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 Sailor Sega Saturn   ( @sailor_sega_saturn@awful.systems )  to SneerClub@awful.systemsEnglish · 2 years ago

Building an early warning system for LLM-aided biological threat creation

openai.com

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Building an early warning system for LLM-aided biological threat creation

openai.com

 Sailor Sega Saturn   ( @sailor_sega_saturn@awful.systems )  to SneerClub@awful.systemsEnglish · 2 years ago
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We’re developing a blueprint for evaluating the risk that a large language model (LLM) could aid someone in creating a biological threat. In an evaluation involving both biology experts and students, we found that GPT-4 provides at most a mild uplift in biological threat creation accuracy. While this uplift is not large enough to be conclusive, our finding is a starting point for continued research and community deliberation.

OpenAI blog post: https://openai.com/research/building-an-early-warning-system-for-llm-aided-biological-threat-creation

Orange discuss: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39207291

I don’t have any particular section to call out. May post thoughts tomorrow today it’s after midnight oh gosh, but wanted to post since I knew ya’ll’d be interested in this.

Terrorists could use autocorrect according to OpenAI! Discuss!

  •  Umbrias   ( @Umbrias@beehaw.org ) 
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    2 years ago

    I feel it’s important to mention that as far as CBRN threats are concerned, biological warfare threats are very real, a serious problem, and admittedly accelerated by ai tools for novel biological structures. Militaries don’t use bio weapons because they suck at military things, largely, but terrorists have and can used bio weapons to terrifying effect. Bio warfare proliferation is difficult to spot and counter.

    To be clear here, open ai is late to the party on this front with a terrible paper, but practically it’s a serious concern, both ai tools and non ai tools lowering the barrier to entry, as well as the fact that any given bio lab essentially looks like a bio warfare lab.

    •  carlitoscohones   ( @carlitoscohones@awful.systems ) 
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      2 years ago

      terrorists have and can used bio weapons to terrifying effect

      Can you please tell me when and where? The Japanese subway gassing comes to mind. Anthrax envelopes in 2001. Any others since then?

      •  skillissuer   ( @skillissuer@discuss.tchncs.de ) 
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        2 years ago

        there were really only three. one is 2001 anthrax that you mention; other is salmonella spread by cultists in literally 1984; and another would be 1989 medfly infestation. everything else is, relatively speaking, non-incident

      •  Umbrias   ( @Umbrias@beehaw.org ) 
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        2 years ago

        Here’s an overview. Not the highest casualty count but certainly not ineffective.

        https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8818129/

        •  carlitoscohones   ( @carlitoscohones@awful.systems ) 
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          2 years ago

          Thank you.

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