#ChemicalWeapons #BiologicalWeapons #ExportControl Challenges of the “#AustraliaGroup” in Preventing the Return of Chemical and Biological Weapons politics-dz.com/challenges-o… Nice to see a review of our publication on the future challenges facing the Australia Group @FRS_org with @Moni_Chinchilla, Esmée de Bruin and Élisande Nexon As international conflicts and wars intensify and technological and biological advancements become increasingly accessible worldwide, concerns have grown about the potential resurgence of chemical and biological weapons. This has sparked international debate over the effectiveness of controlling the export of dual-use technologies that could be related to the development and production of these weapons. In this context, the role of the “Australia Group” emerges. This informal forum of countries seeks to harmonize export control measures to ensure that exports do not contribute to the development of chemical and biological weapons. It also helps align national control measures, enabling participants to meet their obligations under the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) and the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The significance of the research paper by Jean Pascal Zanders and others, published by the Strategic Research Foundation in April 2024 (cutt.ly/reW82bD1), lies in its evaluation of the opportunities and challenges facing the Australia Group in preventing the emergence of chemical and biological weapons. The paper examines the group’s future role in light of global geopolitical shifts and the evolving threats posed by emerging technologies. It also explores the possibility of developing formal international law and its relationship with informal arrangements in preventing the proliferation of these weapons. [...]

#BiologicalWeapons #ArtificialInteligence AI biosecurity concerns prompt call for national rules axios.com/2024/08/23/ai-bios… Biosecurity experts are calling on governments to set new guardrails in an effort to limit the risks posed by advanced AI models being applied to biology. Why it matters: AI models trained on genetic sequences have double-edged potential to help scientists design new medicines and vaccines, but can also be used to create new or enhanced pathogens. Where it stands: Experts from OpenAI and RAND, among other institutions, say today's large language models don't increase the risk of a bioweapon being created in part because there's not enough data to train them. * There's an impression today that "producing biological weapons with all of the information that AI can provide is easy, straightforward," Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, deputy director of the Biodefense Graduate Program at George Mason University, said at a Center for New American Security event on Wednesday. * But "producing biological weapons is very complex, very complicated." Yes, but: Many researchers say it's only a matter of time before AI models improve and it becomes a possibility. [...]

#BiologicalWeapons #Disinformation #UkraineRussiaWar Pleased to announce that my paper for @EU_NonProlif on The Biological And Toxin Weapons Convention Confronting False Allegations And Disinformation has just been published. nonproliferation.eu/wp-conte…

#ChemicalWeapons Attacks under the Convention against Torture: A New Possible Avenue? blog.prif.org/2023/08/21/che… On 8/0623, #Canada and #Netherlands initiated proceedings at the #ICJ against #Syria ...