Episode Details

Engineered pathogens pose a grave threat to society, plausibly constituting an existential risk[1] (‘x-risk’) to humanity.[2]

Yet remarkably few people are working full-time on this problem. By my count, there are ~160 people on the planet whose full-time job is reducing bio x-risk.[3] This entire group could fit on a single short-haul flight. As one point of comparison, something like 200+ organizations are working on AI safety – a problem area that is neglected in its own right (relative to its scale).[4]

This is bad. We have a short bench, and only limited time to solve this problem: AI is advancing quickly, and in the near term I expect advances to help attackers more than defenders.

We urgently need more talented people who want in on this mission. We’re especially short on people who can truly own crucial projects, approaching them with good judgment, entrepreneurial drive, and a mix of desperation and impatience sufficient to see them through to completion, and quickly.

But what should these people actually… do?

Below is a list of 10 important projects that I’d be excited to see people work on and own. This draws on ideas my Coefficient Giving [...]

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Outline:

(03:49) Projects Id be excited to see people work on and own

(03:54) 1. Ensure PPE stockpiles and emergency distribution systems are in place in X country

(05:15) 2. Ensure systematic red-teaming of gene synthesis and AIxBio safeguards

(06:33) 3. Create and use demos to communicate AI-bio uplift to policymakers

(07:44) 4. Ensure strong, sensible mirror life policy is effective in X country

(09:03) 5. Develop rigorously tested DIY protocols for converting bedrooms into cleanrooms

(10:27) 6. Develop rigorously tested DIY protocols for making respirators out of common household materials

(11:46) 7. Scalably monitor particle concentrations inside clean spaces and respirators

(12:44) 8. Boost countries food stockpiles by 25%, especially countries with high industrial capacity

(13:47) 9. Raise awareness of engineered pandemic risks, especially among people who can do something about it

(14:39) 10. Headhunt the leads for these and many other projects

(16:13) Appendix: How this all fits into the bigger picture

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First published:
May 9th, 2026

Source:
https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/hRnoGze2FuhHpFTrh/10-big-projects-for-reducing-bio-x-risk

Linkpost URL:
https://defensesindepth.bio/10-big-projects-for-reducing-bio-x-risk/

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.