Terrorists could ‘use AI to build deadly chemical weapons’ in tech ‘Wild West’

Terrorists could use Artificial Intelligence to create deadly chemical weapons in just two years time, ministers have warned.

The urgent warning comes as UK Government officials also raised concerns about AI causing massive job losses. It this thought that this could lead to a massive "unemployment crisis".

In a speech set to be given later today but that was leaked overnight, Rishi Sunak will call on world leaders to act now to reassure citizens they will be protected. The Government has released papers outlining the potential benefits and risks of new technology for the first time.

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They warn that within the next two years, the greatest threats include possible cyber-attacks, increased fraud, and the creation of child sexual abuse images. By 2025, there's a risk that AI could be used to boost terrorist activities in propaganda, recruitment, attack planning, and the development of "chemical, biological and radiological weapons".

A report by the Government Office for Science has outlined potential future scenarios involving artificial intelligence (AI). In a "Wild West" scenario, misuse of AI could lead to "societal unrest as many members of the public fall victim to organised crime", and businesses could suffer "economic damage" from large-scale theft of trade secrets.

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The document stated: "Given the significant uncertainty in predicting AI developments, there is insufficient evidence to rule out that highly capable future Frontier AI systems, if misaligned or inadequately controlled, could pose an existential threat. However, many experts consider this a risk with very low likelihood and few plausible routes to being realised."

The Government mentioned these documents would "inform discussions" at an international summit on AI safety hosted by the PM at Bletchley Park next week.

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Sunak's speech states: "AI will bring new knowledge, new opportunities for economic growth, new advances in human capability, and the chance to solve problems we once thought beyond us. But it also brings new dangers and new fears."

"So, the responsible thing for me to do is to address those fears head on, giving you the peace of mind that we will keep you safe, while making sure you and your children have all the opportunities for a better future that AI can bring. Doing the right thing, not the easy thing, means being honest with people about the risks from these technologies."

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