Annie Jacobsen

Annie Jacobsen's new book 'Biological War: A Scenario' explores the premise of a national security threat involving a deliberately engineered pathogen. Geoff Bennett discussed America's preparedness for biological threats with Jacobsen on the PBS News podcast 'Settle In.'

Annie Jacobsen's new book imagines a genetically modified airborne bacterium as a bioterrorism threat, inspired by a real Soviet 'chimera program.' A former UK government adviser praised it as a compelling thriller and a more informative briefing than one received in Downing Street.

AI is accelerating both the creation of biological weapons and advancements in public health. The article highlights a race between offensive uses of AI in 'dark biology' and its defensive potential to track disease outbreaks and prevent pandemics. Speed in detecting outbreaks via AI could determine whether an outbreak is contained or becomes a global crisis.

The article discusses how artificial intelligence is accelerating biological design, enabling both the creation of biological weapons and advancements in public health. It emphasizes the urgent need to develop AI-driven systems for disease outbreak detection to counter the risks of 'dark biology' and prevent pandemics.