Pandemic Preparation is AI Safety

Economist Tyler Cowen argued on Marginal Revolution that AI risk increases the value of pandemic preparation, noting that if COVID-19 began with a laboratory leak — plausible though unproven — then a research accident has already killed millions. Cowen framed pandemic preparedness as a component of AI safety rather than a separate concern.

I am not a big fan of the “now more than ever” post, which interprets recent events to support—surprise —something the writer already believed. And yet…is it not obvious that AI risk increases the value of pandemic preparation? If COVID began with a laboratory leak—plausible, though unproven—then a research accident has already killed millions. Whatever its … The post Pandemic Preparation is AI Safety https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2026/09/pandemic-preparation-is-ai-safety.html appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION https://marginalrevolution.com .