Compiled by Dylan Bettencourt
- AI company Anthropic says it found five cases where people used its AI for work that could help develop biological weapons.
- The company blocked the activity because powerful AI can provide scientific information that could be dangerous in the wrong hands.
People have tried using artificial intelligence to help with scientific work that could support biological weapons, according to AI company Anthropic.
In simple terms, people asked Anthropic’s Claude AI system for scientific information that could help them understand how dangerous biological agents might be developed.
The AI was not physically making a weapon.
It was being used to provide information and help with technical work that could form part of weapons research.
According to the BBC, Anthropic found five cases involving possible biological weapons work between December 2025 and August 2026.
The company said it stopped the activity.
Google has reported a similar case involving its Gemini AI system. It said someone tried to use Gemini to create a step-by-step technical guide for making weaponised biological agents.
Anthropic says this is one of the most serious dangers linked to powerful AI.
But stopping it is difficult.
The same scientific information that could help someone make a biological weapon could also help scientists develop vaccines or treatments.
That means a dangerous request can sometimes look similar to normal medical or scientific research.
Anthropic also found six cases where Claude was used to help with software connected to weapons such as missiles, armed drones and bombs.
Again, the AI was not building the weapons itself. It was helping with information, computer code or other technical work.
The report also found people using Claude for hacking, scams, surveillance and propaganda.
Anthropic said it has used what it learnt from the incidents to improve its safety systems and has shared information with authorities where appropriate.
The findings have added to growing concerns about how powerful AI systems should be controlled as they become more capable.
Pictured above: An illustration.
Image source: AI-generated.
