Dual-Use Technology & Proliferation

AI is inherently dual-use: the same technology that diagnoses diseases can identify targets, the same models that generate helpful text can generate disinformation, and the same computer vision systems that power autonomous vehicles can power autonomous weapons. This dual-use nature makes AI proliferation a genuine policy challenge. Unlike nuclear technology, AI doesn't require rare physical materials - once a model architecture is published, anyone with sufficient compute can replicate it. Governments and researchers are grappling with how to manage this. Some have proposed restrictions on publishing certain types of AI research, particularly around capabilities that could be weaponised. Others argue that openness is the best defence, since it allows the broader community to identify risks and develop countermeasures. The Biological Weapons Convention and nuclear non-proliferation frameworks offer imperfect analogies - AI spreads through code and knowledge rather than physical materials, making traditional arms control approaches difficult to apply. For businesses developing AI with potential dual-use applications, this creates an obligation to think carefully about who your customers are, how your technology might be repurposed, and what safeguards you have in place. Responsible development means considering not just intended uses but foreseeable misuses.