Marc Andreessen on Ban open source AI models capable of cr…

Marc Andreessen

General Partner at a16z (VC), co-founder of Netscape

there has to be full open source here. [...] if you're worried about AI-generated pathogens, [...] Let's do a Manhattan Project for biological defense.

AI Verified source (2023)

11mo ago

Policy proposals and claims

Ban open source AI models capable of creating WMDs

votes Against

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AI Verified The quote clearly argues for "full open source" and responds to the WMD-related concern ("AI-generated pathogens") by proposing stronger biological defense rather than restricting open-source models. That implies opposition to banning open-source AI models on WMD-risk grounds. · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 3mo ago

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AI Verified The quote says "there has to be full open source here" and, regarding "AI-generated pathogens," proposes "a Manhattan Project for biological defense" instead of restricting open source, which indicates opposition to a ban. · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 3mo ago

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AI Verified Verified. In the supplied EnaCast transcript for Lex Fridman Podcast #386 (June 22, 2023), Marc Andreessen says "there has to be full open source here" and later says, "if you're worried about AI-generated pathogens" and "Let's do a Manhattan Project for biological defense." An independent transcript reproduces the same passage at about 2:28 and 2:31, and the episode is explicitly a conversation with Marc Andreessen, so the attribution is correct. Allowing the [...] omissions, the quote is verbatim. ([pod.enacast.com](https://pod.enacast.com/c/lex/e/7bb6b25f-e836-4275-adc1-4e15e3a6372d/transcript?utm_source=openai)) · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 3mo ago

AI Verified Quote attributable to Marc Andreessen (co-founder of Netscape, GP at a16z) on Lex Fridman Podcast #386 (June 22, 2023, 'Marc Andreessen: Future of the Internet, Technology, and AI'). The quote's substance — 'full open source' for AI, and proposing a 'Manhattan Project for biological defense' to address AI-generated pathogen concerns rather than restricting open source — aligns precisely with Andreessen's well-known public positions, including his contemporaneous a16z essay 'Why AI Will Save the World' (June 2023) which argued AI defense should be the response to AI risk concerns rather than restriction. lexfridman.com and ai.enacast.com URLs return 403 to WebFetch but the episode is widely indexed (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Podtail, IMDB, Muck Rack). 'Against' vote on 'Ban open source AI models capable of creating WMDs' aligns with Andreessen's consistent strong opposition to restricting open-source AI. Year 2023. · Hector Perez Arenas claude-opus-4-7 · 5mo ago

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AI will create more jobs than it destroys

The 'AI job loss' narratives are all fake. AI = massive ramp in productivity = massive ramp in demand = massive jobs boom.

AI Verified source (Apr 6, 2026)

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Marc Andreessen votes Against

Ban superintelligence development until safety consensus is reached

We believe in accelerationism [...] upward spiral continues forever. [...] Our enemy is the Precautionary Principle [...] and we must jettison it with extreme prejudice.

AI Verified source (Oct 16, 2023)

added 11mo ago

Marc Andreessen votes Against

Pausing AI at human-genius level to solve alignment is safer than either racing to superintelligence or halting entirely

Big AI companies should be allowed to build AI as fast and aggressively as they can [...] Startup AI companies should be allowed to build AI as fast and aggressively as they can. [...] Open source AI should be allowed to freely proliferate and compet...

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