AI Navigates the Web and Designs New Viruses: Today's AI Highlights
From AI agents learning to browse the web like humans to the potential for AI to design novel viruses, today’s AI news paints a picture of both incredible progress and potential peril. The developments highlight the accelerating pace of AI development and the increasingly complex ethical considerations that accompany it.
Google’s latest Gemini AI model is making waves with its ability to use a web browser to navigate and interact with web pages, just like a human user. According to The Verge, this new “Computer Use” model can click, scroll, and type within a browser window, allowing it to access data not available through traditional APIs. This signifies a move towards more versatile and autonomous AI agents that can independently gather information and perform tasks online.
However, a more unsettling development comes from the realm of biotechnology. Live Science reports that AI can now be used to design entirely new viruses. Scientists have successfully used AI to create bacteriophages, viruses that infect only bacteria. While this has potential applications in areas like targeted antibacterial therapies, it also raises serious biosecurity concerns about the possibility of AI being used to design harmful or even devastating bioweapons.
Today’s AI news underscores the duality of this rapidly evolving technology. As AI becomes more capable of understanding and interacting with the world, it’s crucial to consider the potential risks alongside the benefits. The ability of AI to design viruses, even initially for benign purposes, demands careful consideration and proactive measures to prevent misuse. The future of AI depends on responsible development and deployment, ensuring that its immense potential is harnessed for the betterment of humanity, not its detriment.