--- title: "Former Google Exec Warns AI Could Create a Deadly Plague" description: "An AI pioneer and onetime Google executive has issued a stark warning about the technology he helped unleash upon the world." date: "2023-09-06" modified: "2023-09-06" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/former-google-exec-ai-plague" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Google" tags: - "DeepMind" - "mustafa suleyman" - "pandemics" - "the digest" --- # Former Google Exec Warns AI Could Create a Deadly Plague ![An AI pioneer and onetime Google executive has issued a stark warning about the technology he helped unleash upon the world.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## AI Pandemic An AI pioneer and former Google executive has issued a stark warning about the technology he helped unleash upon the world — and this one's bound to go, well, viral. "The darkest scenario is that people will experiment with pathogens, engineered synthetic pathogens that might end up accidentally or intentionally being more transmissible," said Google DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman in a recent episode of "[The Diary of a CEO]()" podcast. AI-manipulated viruses could "spread faster or \[be\] more lethal," Suleyman said, ultimately causing "more harm" and potentially even killing people "like a pandemic." "We are working with dangerous things," he continued. "We can't let just anyone have access to them. We need to limit who can use the AI software, the cloud systems, and even some of the biological materials." With more and more people learning how to use the technology than ever before, there's little to stop anybody from [genetically engineering a viral pathogen]() worse than anything ever seen before and unleashing it onto the world – which is why the DeepMind co-founder is advocating for a "containment" strategy on AI similar to the one NATO has in place for nukes. "We have to limit access to the tools," Suleyman said, "and the know-how to carry out that kind of experimentation." ## Engineered Virus Now the CEO and co-founder of Inflection AI, Suleyman is slated to attend an [AI summit led by Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer]() later this month in Washington, DC, which will also feature other industry luminaries like OpenAI CEO and co-founder Sam Altman, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and, of course, Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Many of Suleyman's fellow AI forum attendees have echoed his concerns. A recent [excerpt from a forthcoming Musk biography](), for instance, details how the multi-hyphenate billionaire discussed AI's dangers with both former president Barack Obama and Google co-founder Larry Page, though neither was willing, per his recollection, to do anything about it. There's little doubt that these brilliant (and controversial) minds will have a lot to say about our AI future — though it's unclear if any are as concerned about AI-influenced pandemics as Suleyman. **More on AI:** [*USA Today Updates Every AI-Generated Sports Article to Correct “Errors”*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()