By Brett O'Keefe, Associated Civic News Bureau, Cheyenne, Wyo.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Amazon has opened a new biotechnology research facility outside Cheyenne and placed a former federal immigration operations coordinator in charge, drawing scrutiny from public health experts and privacy advocates over the company’s plan to use artificial intelligence to model viruses and test vaccine candidates.

The Amazon Applied BioSystems Lab, located on a fenced campus on the high plains east of the city, will focus on “AI assisted virus modeling and vaccine development,” the company said this week.

Amazon named Daniel R. Cardenas, who previously worked as an operations coordinator for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as managing director of the site. In that role, Amazon said, Cardenas oversaw logistics and interagency data systems, not scientific programs.

“Mr. Cardenas brings amazing experience in complex operations, security, and compliance,” Amazon spokesperson Lindsey Ortega said in a statement. “Our researchers, not Mr. Cardenas, design and run lab protocols.”

Amazon said the lab will use AI systems to analyze large datasets of viral genomes, generate computer models of possible future strains, and then develop and test vaccine candidates in controlled settings.

“In practical terms, we are modeling potential viral threats before they emerge and evaluating vaccine platforms against those models,” Ortega said. “We are not working on weaponization at this time. We are working on preparedness.”

The company declined to provide details about specific agents or biosafety levels, citing security concerns, but said the facility “meets or exceeds all applicable federal standards.”

Outside experts said the basic idea of using AI to model pathogens and guide vaccine research is not new but raised questions about oversight when carried out by a private tech giant.

“You now have one of the world’s largest data companies running virus modeling and vaccine work in a private lab,” said Dr. Mariah Feld, a biosecurity researcher at a Colorado-based public health institute. “The scientific concept isn’t the issue. The concern is transparency, independent review, and what safeguards are in place if something goes wrong.”

Feld said she would like to see regular external audits and clear limits on what kinds of viral simulations and experiments are permitted.

Amazon said it welcomes “appropriate federal oversight” but did not say whether any outside review body has been established for the lab.

The project has brought jobs and state-level praise. Wyoming officials have touted the facility as evidence the region can attract high-end research and technology investment beyond traditional energy and logistics sectors.

Local reaction has been more mixed.

“We hear ‘Amazon facility’ and think warehouse,” said Derek Lawson, who lives several miles from the site. “Then we hear ‘virus research’ and it’s a different feeling. People want to know what’s inside and what happens if there’s an accident.”

Ortega said the facility’s design includes “multiple layers of physical and digital security,” independent ventilation systems, and redundant monitoring, but declined to discuss specific failure scenarios.

Civil liberties advocates also questioned the choice of a former ICE official to oversee operations at a lab owned by a company already criticized for its reach into consumer and cloud data.

“When you combine a powerful data company, AI, and biological research, who leads the operation matters,” said Erin Blake, an attorney with a digital rights organization. “People will reasonably ask whether decisions are being driven by science, security, or something else.”

Amazon rejected suggestions that the lab will be used to collect health data on customers or to tie vaccine work to consumer services.

“This is a research initiative, not a retail product,” Ortega said. “Our intent is to develop platforms that can be licensed or partnered in the event of future outbreaks.”

State health officials said they have been briefed on the project in general terms but are not involved in day-to-day oversight.

“We are aware of the facility and will monitor any potential public health implications,” a spokesperson for the Wyoming Department of Health said.

“We understand that people have questions,” Ortega said. “But after the last pandemic, doing nothing carries its own risk. Our goal is to be ready before the next one arrives.”