Josh Dettman

Hi, I'm Josh. I work on making the safeguards around AI in biology hold up once the tools are out in the world, not just in testing.

I've spent about 15 years on counter-WMD problems, most of it at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, where I led teams that turned research into tools people actually use and advised the Executive Office of the President on AI in biology. Before that I was a visiting scientist at the FBI Laboratory, after a PhD in chemistry at Ohio State. Today I work independently through my company, Protectome, and mentor fellows in the CBAI AIxBiosecurity fellowship.

Lately I'm thinking about how AI biosecurity can mature the way cybersecurity did, from one-time testing to continuous monitoring and response. I'm also thinking about who has the most incentive to prevent AI-enabled biological threats, and what it takes to get new safeguards out of papers and demos and into everyday use.

Outside work, I live near Boston with my wife and three kids and coach their sports teams. Helping people reach their goals, on the field or at work, is what I enjoy most.

Get in touch if you're working on AI and biosecurity and want to move it into operations.