Experts urge Australia to tighten AI-era biosecurity screening

By AI, Created 9:52 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – More than 120 AI, biosecurity and policy figures are calling on Agriculture Minister Julie Collins to use existing powers to require gene synthesis screening for imported DNA and RNA. They say the move could close an AI-enabled gap in Australia’s biosecurity system without new legislation.

Why it matters: - The letter argues AI has lowered the barriers to designing biological threats, turning mail-order DNA and RNA into a potential route for bioweapon development. - Imported synthetic nucleic acids are described as a physical chokepoint, because even AI-guided bad actors still need material inputs that can be screened at the border. - The request is aimed at stopping dangerous orders before they enter Australia, without waiting for new laws.

What happened: - Today, more than 120 AI experts, biosecurity experts, parliamentarians and members of the public sent a letter to Agriculture Minister Julie Collins. - The letter asks the minister to use existing powers to block imports of synthetic DNA and RNA from providers that do not screen for dangerous sequences or verify customer identity. - The letter says the minister can act immediately, without new legislation. - Signatories include Federal Member for Curtin Kate Chaney MP, Dr Cassidy Nelson, Janet Egan, Dr Toby Ord, Associate Professor David Heslop and Professor Patrick Walsh.

The details: - The International AI Safety Report 2026 found general-purpose AI systems can give expert-level guidance on building biological and chemical weapons, including detailed laboratory instructions. - One AI model outperformed 94% of experts at troubleshooting virology protocols. - Specialised AI systems can design genomes for viruses not seen in nature, and related techniques have been used to design proteins that evade the human immune system. - A survey of 375 biological AI tools found only 3% had safeguards, and existing safeguards can be bypassed. - Major gene synthesis providers including Twist Bioscience, IDT and GenScript already screen orders voluntarily. - Australian import permits do not currently require that screening. - The Biosecurity Act 2015 allows the Director of Biosecurity to impose conditions on import permits through BICON. - The letter asks for screening requirements, higher-risk background checks and a review with the new AI Safety Institute, industry and academia. - The letter also calls for public notice of the screening requirement so would-be offenders know orders will be checked. - Free screening tools are available, and screening is done digitally by the synthesis provider before dispatch. - The letter says the change targets the gap, not the norm.

Between the lines: - The push reflects a shift from treating biosecurity as a niche lab issue to treating it as an AI governance issue. - The argument is that Australia already has most of the policy machinery needed, and the missing piece is mandatory screening at the border. - Supporters say most Australian researchers already use screened providers, so the rule would mainly affect suppliers that bad actors could exploit. - Good Ancestors CEO Greg Sadler said screening only deters wrongdoers if they know it is happening. - Sadler also said government already knows the problem exists and pointed to SYNAPSE, the Synthetic Biology and AI Protection Security Effort, which the Department of Agriculture has co-chaired with Home Affairs for more than a year. - Sadler said SYNAPSE appears in the National AI Plan, which says regulators are responsible for AI harms in their domains. - Dr Lotti Tajouri, associate professor at Bond University, called AI-assisted microbial synthesis his top worry for humankind survival and warned delay could make the problem impossible to reverse. - Soroush Pour, CEO of Harmony Intelligence and former head of technology at Vow, warned one malicious actor could cause massive economic damage and potentially deaths of millions through an engineered pathogen. - Associate Professor David Heslop of UNSW said generative AI and synthetic biology are rapidly lowering barriers to designing and manipulating biological systems. - The US, New Zealand, the EU and the UK are all moving toward gene synthesis screening requirements.

What’s next: - The letter wants Julie Collins to use the Biosecurity Act powers now, then continue work through SYNAPSE as AI capability advances. - The authors are pressing for a formal screening requirement to be set through existing import permit conditions. - The full letter and current list of signatories are available here.