A2 · ElementaryAdapted from ElDiario.es

AI and Bioweapons: Can Tech Be Dangerous?

IA y armas biológicas: ¿puede la tecnología ser peligrosa?

Sep 11, 20261 min readGraded Spanish · word-by-word audio

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Anthropic es una empresa de inteligencia artificial. Este año, la empresa dice que ha bloqueado varios usos peligrosos de sus modelos de IA.

La empresa no sabe si estos estudios tenían fines buenos o malos. Pero decidió bloquearlos porque sus modelos podían ayudar a crear patógenos peligrosos. Anthropic también ha desarrollado sistemas para detectar y bloquear estos riesgos.

Expertos en tecnología están preocupados por el uso dual de la IA. Los modelos que ayudan en investigaciones biológicas también pueden servir para actividades peligrosas. Anthropic ha detectado casos en China, Rusia y Yemen.

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Watch out, English speaker

English speakers often translate the Spanish present perfect (he/has/ha + past participle) directly as 'I have done,' but Spanish uses it more broadly for recent past events with present relevance, where English might prefer simple past. For example, 'Anthropic ha desarrollado sistemas' is better rendered as 'Anthropic has developed systems' or even 'Anthropic developed systems' depending on context, but learners may overuse 'have' in every case. Also, Spanish requires the participle to agree only with haber, not the subject, so 'ellas han bloqueado' is correct, not 'ellas han bloqueadas.' Because 'porque' looks like 'because,' English speakers often assume it works identically, but Spanish 'porque' introduces a full clause and cannot be replaced by 'por' or 'para' in reason contexts. A common mistake is using 'por que' (two words) or 'porqué' (noun) instead of 'porque' when giving a reason. Remember: 'porque' answers 'why?' and is always one word, no accent.

Key vocabulary

empresaf.
company, firm
“Anthropic es una empresa de inteligencia artificial.”— Anthropic is an artificial intelligence company.
Pattern empresa de tecnología technology company
Compare compañía f. company
plural empresas
💡 From Latin imprendere, meaning 'to undertake', cognate with English enterprise.
bloquearv.
to block, to stop
“La empresa ha bloqueado varios usos peligrosos.”— The company has blocked several dangerous uses.
Pattern bloquear el acceso block access
Compare detener v. to stop
yo bloqueo, tú bloqueas, él bloquea
💡 From English block, but Spanish pronunciation is more regular.
peligrosoadj.
dangerous
“Los modelos pueden servir para actividades peligrosas.”— The models can be used for dangerous activities.
Pattern actividad peligrosa dangerous activity
Compare riesgoso adj. risky
feminine peligrosa, plural peligrosos
💡 From peligro (danger), with the suffix -oso meaning 'full of…'.
armaf.
weapon
“Algunas personas investigaron sobre armas biológicas.”— Some people researched biological weapons.
Pattern arma biológica biological weapon
plural armas
💡 Note: although arma ends in -a, it is a feminine noun.
detectarv.
to detect, to find
“Anthropic ha desarrollado sistemas para detectar riesgos.”— Anthropic has developed systems to detect risks.
Pattern detectar un problema detect a problem
Compare descubrir v. to discover
yo detecto, tú detectas, él detecta
💡 From Latin detectus, meaning 'to reveal'.
riesgom.
risk
“La empresa bloqueó los usos por el riesgo.”— The company blocked the uses due to the risk.
Pattern correr un riesgo take a risk
Compare peligro m. danger
plural riesgos
💡 Cognate with English risk, but spelled differently.
expertom.
expert
“Expertos en tecnología están preocupados.”— Technology experts are worried.
Pattern experto en tecnología technology expert
Compare especialista m./f. expert
feminine experta, plural expertos
💡 From Latin expertus, meaning 'experienced'.
usom.
use, usage
“El uso dual de la IA preocupa a los expertos.”— The dual use of AI worries experts.
Pattern uso dual dual use
Compare utilización f. use
plural usos
💡 From the verb usar, with -o forming a noun.

Grammar spotlight

Present perfect: haber + past participle

The present perfect is formed with the present tense of the auxiliary verb haber plus the past participle. It describes past actions that are connected to or relevant in the present.

“Anthropic ha desarrollado sistemas para detectar riesgos.”— Anthropic has developed systems to detect risks.

⚠️ Do not confuse haber with tener. Haber is an auxiliary verb, while tener means 'to have' (possess).

Cause clause with porque

Use porque to introduce a cause or reason, meaning 'because'. It connects a main clause with a subordinate clause that explains why something happens.

“Pero decidió bloquearlos porque sus modelos podían ayudar a crear patógenos peligrosos.”— But it decided to block them because its models could help create dangerous pathogens.

⚠️ Porque is followed by a full clause (with a conjugated verb), whereas por is followed by a noun or an infinitive.

Sentence patterns to steal

La empresa no sabe si estos estudios tenían fines buenos o malos.
The company does not know whether these studies had good or bad intentions.
No saber si + clauseYou can replace the subject and the clause, e.g., No sé si él viene.
Expertos en tecnología están preocupados por el uso dual de la IA.
Technology experts are worried about the dual use of AI.
Estar preocupado por + nounYou can replace the adjective and the noun, e.g., Estoy interesado en el tema.
Los modelos que ayudan en investigaciones biológicas también pueden servir para actividades peligrosas.
Models that help in biological research can also be used for dangerous activities.
Los + noun + que + verb + también pueden + infinitiveYou can replace the noun and verb, e.g., Las herramientas que usamos también pueden romperse.

Dual Use of AI

The dual use of artificial intelligence refers to the same technology being usable for both beneficial and harmful purposes. For example, AI can help develop new drugs, but it could also be misused to create biological weapons. This has sparked global discussions about AI ethics and regulation.

Source: Wikipedia, 'Dual-use technology'

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