OpenAI, Anthropic, Google CEOs Call for Mandatory DNA Screening

When the heads of competing AI labs sign the same letter to Congress, the alignment is itself a signal. According to Fortune, Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, Mustafa Suleyman, and Demis Hassabis — the leaders of OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft AI, and Google DeepMind — joined dozens of life sciences and national security experts in an open letter organized by the Foundation for American Innovation and the Institute for Progress, calling on Congress to mandate screening for companies that sell synthetic DNA and RNA.

The letter's argument is concrete: AI is eroding the expertise barriers that have historically kept biological weapons out of reach for most bad actors. As the signatories write, "AI systems are improving rapidly, and alongside incredible benefits to science and medicine, there is a real possibility that the knowledge barriers which have historically prevented bad actors from obtaining biological weapons will meaningfully erode." Their specific asks are mandatory order screening against databases of known dangerous sequences, customer verification, and record-keeping on orders and material specifications for use in biosecurity investigations.

The push is to move an existing voluntary practice into law. Companies selling synthetic DNA and RNA already do some screening, but the letter argues that voluntary compliance leaves gaps wherever vendors choose not to participate. Making it legally required across the industry is the core ask.

There is already a legislative vehicle in play. Senators Tom Cotton and Amy Klobuchar introduced the bipartisan Biosecurity Modernization and Innovation Act of 2026, which tracks the letter's proposals and includes exemptions for materials that pose no credible threat. The high-profile backing gives the bill more visible momentum than most tech-policy letters achieve.

The honest caveat is that the letter focuses narrowly on the commercial synthesis chokepoint. What the reporting doesn't give you is any account of open-weight AI models that can provide bioweapon-relevant guidance without a physical DNA order ever being placed — mandatory vendor screening would close one door. Whether Congress also asks what to do about the others is the question this letter leaves open.