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Documenting Cloud Labs and Examining How Remotely Operated Automated Laboratories Could Enable Bad Actors
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4/5
High(4)High quality. Established institution or organization with editorial oversight and accountability.
Rating inherited from publication venue: RAND Corporation
Relevant to AI safety discussions around AI-enabled biological risk; provides empirical grounding on cloud lab infrastructure that could factor into debates over AI governance, biosecurity regulation, and dual-use research oversight.
Metadata
Importance: 62/100organizational reportanalysis
Summary
This RAND paper surveys 15 cloud laboratory organizations worldwide—remotely operated, automated research facilities representing AI-biotech convergence—and analyzes how these platforms could be exploited by malicious actors to develop or proliferate chemical and biological weapons. The authors document facility details and discuss biosecurity vulnerabilities inherent to the cloud lab model, offering guidance for policymakers and stakeholders.
Key Points
- •Cloud labs combine AI and automation to allow remote execution of scientific experiments, representing a dual-use technology with significant biosecurity risks.
- •The paper catalogs 15 cloud lab organizations globally, documenting size, instrument count, location, and scientific focus areas.
- •Remote access and automation features that make cloud labs valuable also create exploitable vulnerabilities for bad actors seeking to develop CBRN weapons.
- •The analysis is aimed at informing policymakers and cloud lab stakeholders about current vulnerabilities to support safe, secure development of the technology.
- •The convergence of AI capabilities with automated laboratory infrastructure is identified as a key emerging biosecurity concern requiring governance attention.
Cited by 1 page
| Page | Type | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| Bioweapons Risk | Risk | 91.0 |
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Documenting Cloud Labs and Examining How Remotely Operated Automated Laboratories Could Enable Bad Actors | RAND
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Documenting Cloud Labs and Examining How Remotely Operated Automated Laboratories Could Enable Bad Actors
Jeffrey Lee , Bria Persaud , Barbara Del Castello , Allison Berke , Gustavs Zilgalvis
Expert Insights Published Apr 24, 2025
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Research laboratories that allow for remote execution of experiments and rely heavily on automation, known as cloud labs, can be manifestations of the convergence of artificial intelligence and biotechnology. However, the automation and remote capabilities that define cloud labs also could introduce specific risks, particularly in the context of biosecurity. The potential for misuse by malicious actors to develop harmful chemical or biological weapons through these platforms is a notable concern.
In this paper, the authors provide an overview of 15 cloud lab organizations around the world, including details on the facility size, the number of scientific instruments, location, and the type of science they focus on. The authors then discuss how cloud labs could enable bad actors in developing and proliferating chemical or biological weapons. This discussion may be of interest to cloud lab organizations and stakeholders in science automation who have responsibilities to inform policymakers about the current state of cloud lab organizations and potential vulnerabilities of the cloud lab model to facilitate the safe and secure development of scientific cloud labs.
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Topics
Artificial Intelligence
Biological Weapons and Warfare
Bioterrorism
Chemical Terrorism
Chemical Weapons and Warfare
Emerging Technologies
Terrorism Risk Management
Document Details
Copyright: RAND Corporation
Availability: Web-Only
Year: 2025
Pages: 30
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/PEA3851-1
Document Number: PE-A3851-1
Citation
RAND Style Manual
Lee, Jeffrey, Bria Persaud, Barbara Del Castello, Allison Berke, and Gustavs Zilgalvis, Documenting Cloud Labs and Examining How Remotely Operated Automated Laboratories Could Enable Bad Actors, RAND Corporation, PE-A3851-1, April 2025. As of March 25, 2026: https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PEA3851-1.html
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Lee, Jeffrey, Bria Persaud, Barbara Del Castello, Allison Berke, and Gustavs Zilgalvis, Documenting Cloud Labs and Examining How Remotely Operated Automated Laboratories Could Enable Bad Actors. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2025. https://www.rand.org/pubs/per
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