With reference to the US legislation supported by OpenAI to curb biological threats, consider the following statements: 1. The Web of Biological Data Act is proposed to prevent AI from accelerating biological threats. 2. The AI-Ready Bio-Data Standards Act aims to standardize bio-data safety. 3. The FRONTIER Act requires the government to ban all AI safety evaluations. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

OpenAI backs bills to curb AI's role in biological threats, pushing for safety checks

GS3Economy · S&T · Environment · Security· IT, AI, semiconductors & computing· Prelims· 16 September 2026

AI biosecurity and the dual-use dilemma: a relevant GS3 Science & Technology and Ethics case study.

Why in news

OpenAI endorsed several bipartisan US bills, including the Web of Biological Data Act, to prevent AI from being used to accelerate biological threats.

Background

OpenAI supported the Web of Biological Data Act, AI-Ready Bio-Data Standards Act, and Scale Biology Act. They also backed a provision in the FRONTIER Act requiring independent evaluators to assess AI safety.

Facts for Prelims

S&TWeb of Biological Data Act: Proposed US legislation to curb AI-driven biological threats
S&TAI-Ready Bio-Data Standards Act: Legislation aimed at standardizing bio-data safety
S&TFRONTIER Act: Includes a provision for independent evaluators to assess AI safety
S&TOpenAI: The company behind ChatGPT that endorsed these safety measures

Prelims practice question

With reference to the US legislation supported by OpenAI to curb biological threats, consider the following statements:

The Web of Biological Data Act is proposed to prevent AI from accelerating biological threats.
The AI-Ready Bio-Data Standards Act aims to standardize bio-data safety.
The FRONTIER Act requires the government to ban all AI safety evaluations.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a)1 and 2 only
(b)1 and 3 only
(c)2 and 3 only
(d)1, 2 and 3

Show answer

Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only — Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Statement 3 is incorrect: The FRONTIER Act includes a provision for independent evaluators to assess AI safety.

For Mains

Q. Discuss the dual-use dilemma of Artificial Intelligence in biotechnology and suggest a framework for international safety standards to mitigate biological risks.

Dimensions to cover in your answer

Dual-use risk: Balancing rapid AI-driven drug discovery with the risk of synthetic pathogen creation
Regulatory oversight: Challenges in establishing independent, standardized safety evaluation protocols for frontier models

Keywords: Dual-use dilemma · Biosecurity · Frontier models · Regulatory framework · AI safety

Read the full news →Source: NDTV ↗Also: GS2 · Bills, Acts & ordinances

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This note is generated automatically from SatyaDheesh's news feed and mapped to the UPSC CSE syllabus. Check facts against the original report or PIB before using them in an answer.