Sean Ekins and Filippa Lentzos on a Teachable Moment for Dual-Use

The Lawfare Podcast

The Lawfare Institute

Foreign Policy, News, Military, Current Events, Politics, History, Intelligence, International Relations, National Security, Terrorism, International Law, Government, Law, Diplomacy, Constitutional Law, Rule Of Law

4.7 • 6.2K Ratings

🗓️ 26 August 2022

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Back in March, a team of researchers published an article in Nature Machine Intelligence showing that a drug discovery company’s AI-powered molecule generator could have a dangerous dual use: The model could design thousands of new biochemical weapons in a matter of hours that were equally as toxic as, if not more toxic than, the nerve agent VX.

Lawfare associate editor Tia Sewell sat down with two of the paper’s authors: Dr. Filippa Lentzos, senior lecturer in science & international security at the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, and Dr. Sean Ekins, CEO of Collaborations Pharmaceuticals. They discussed the story of their discovery and their reaction to it, as well as how we should think about dual-use artificial intelligence threats more broadly as new technologies expand the potential for malicious use. They also got into why governments need to work more proactively to address the challenges of regulating machine learning software.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	The following podcast contains advertising to access an ad-free version of the LawFair
0:07.2	podcast become a material supporter of LawFair at patreon.com slash LawFair.
0:14.7	That's patreon.com slash LawFair.
0:18.2	Also, check out LawFair's other podcast offerings, rational security, chatter, LawFair
0:25.6	no bull and the aftermath.
0:31.1	Hi, this is Alex on M from Shadad Ali, that podcast and we are currently sponsored by
0:36.8	NetWest Business Banking.
0:38.3	Whatever stage your businesses are, whether it's still an idea or you're well on your
0:41.6	way to success, NetWest is here for you every step of the way.
0:44.8	Whether that's accessing one of their free programs with events, courses and useful tools,
0:49.1	or maybe you need help managing your money better, NetWest Business account customers get
0:53.2	free access to bookkeeping software, free agent so you could run your business more efficiently
0:57.9	and stay on top of cash flow invoices, tax obligations, the lot.
1:01.9	Search NetWest backing business and get started with NetWest tomorrow begins today.
1:07.3	Business banking available to eligible customers in the UK, specific account eligibility apply.
1:12.0	Some mental services may encourage charge, some services are only available to NetWest customers.
1:22.9	The awareness of dual use, it wasn't there at all here, it wasn't even part of the
1:29.0	vocabulary until we gave this presentation.
1:33.0	I was just thinking misuse, right?
1:35.7	Misuse was the word, right?
1:37.3	And even misuse, why would you misuse the technology?
1:40.4	Because you're trying to make things work better.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Lawfare Institute, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Lawfare Institute and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.