OpenAI has announced its partnership with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) — the lab that developed the world’s first nuclear weapon. Will the aftermath be explosive?
On July 9, OpenAI unveiled a collaboration to explore how AI models can aid scientists in physical lab work. Their focus is on biosafety assessments for GPT-4o and its new voice systems, aiming to understand how these AI tools can support bioscience research.
The statement further noted that the recent White House Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence (AI) aims to ensure the safe, secure, and trustworthy development and use of this technology. One directive of the order assigns the U.S. Department of Energy’s national labs with the task of evaluating the capabilities of advanced AI models, including those with potential applications in biology.
“This partnership marks a natural progression in our mission, advancing scientific research, while also understanding and mitigating risks. This includes biological safety evaluations for GPT-4o and its currently unreleased real-time voice systems to understand how they could be used to support research in bioscience.”
OpenAI
Los Alamos National Lab (LANL), OpenAI’s partner, has a rich history. Established in 1943 to build the first atomic bomb, the lab’s focus shifted toward civilian research after the Cold War ended.
Today, LANL’s bioscience division tackles diverse projects, including vaccine development, environmental biotechnology, and biothreat detection.
OpenAI’s partnership will involve two key areas:
- Wet Lab Techniques: Training models to support complex lab tasks like mass spectrometry analysis.
- New AI Modalities: Utilizing GPT-4o’s voice and image capabilities to potentially accelerate scientific learning within the lab.
However, one concern sticks out: This partnership comes amidst a changing landscape for OpenAI. Major tech companies like Microsoft are distancing themselves due to growing regulatory concerns. Microsoft recently withdrew from OpenAI’s board and the European Union is considering an antitrust investigation into their partnership.
