Hayley Severance
Deputy Vice President, Global Biological Policy and Programs
AIxBio Global Forum
Facilitating international governance to reduce biosecurity risks at the convergence of AI and the life sciences.
Challenge
Rapid advances in AI and its convergence with the life sciences present new biosecurity risks that require innovative solutions and action by governments, technologists and other key stakeholders around the world.
Action
Provide a global forum to develop a shared understanding of AI-related biosecurity risks and technical solutions to address them. Promote adoption of national and global governance for AIxBio capabilities.
Results
Adoption and implementation of effective governance frameworks and best practices that enable beneficial applications of AI in the life sciences while reducing biosecurity risks.
Details
Project Staff
Greg Butchello
Program Officer, Global Biological Policy and Programs
Jaime M. Yassif, PhD
Senior Advisor
Sarah R. Carter
Science Policy Consulting LLC
Nikki Teran
Emerging Technology Solutions LLC
The AIxBio Global Forum provides a platform for international experts, policymakers, and other key stakeholders to identify and reduce biosecurity risks associated with the convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and the life sciences.
The Forum has three main objectives:
- Develop a shared understanding of biosecurity risks associated with AI
- Support development and dissemination of tools and practices to protect the beneficial application of AIxBio capabilities while guarding against risks
- Promote adoption of national and global governance mechanisms for AIxBio capabilities
To achieve these goals, the Forum includes a diverse international group of policy makers along with experts from organizations that develop AI models, biosecurity and AI safety communities, and the bioscience research community. Technical Working Groups enable the Forum to identify best practices and develop technical guardrails to reduce risks that AIxBio capabilities will be misused. This work is aligned with an evolving research agenda designed to provide a comprehensive map of open questions and opportunities to explore in this area. The Forum will conduct analyses, release statements, and provide recommendations to shape national and global governance strategies for AIxBio capabilities–with the ultimate goal of safeguarding the benefits of these powerful technologies.
The AIxBio Global Forum is currently supported by two technical Working Groups, which produce outputs that are shared with the full Forum for further discussion and consideration. One working group is focused on Biological Design Tools and the other on Horizon Scanning, Risk Assessment, and Evaluations. The Forum’s structure ensures that its statements and recommendations carry the full weight of international consideration, while remaining focused and actionable. This approach enables the Forum to issue helpful guidance that can shape policy and practice in this rapidly evolving field.
Members
The Forum consists of more than 25 industry leaders and biosecurity experts, including those listed below who wished to highlight their participation.
Dr. Ayelet Berman
Asia Centre for Health Security, National University of Singapore
Dr. Lobna Ben Khelifa
Applied Science University, Jordan
Dr. Ayodotun Bobadoye
Global Emerging Pathogens Treatment Consortium
Dr. James Diggans
Twist Bioscience
Dr. Maria Espona
ArgIQ
Mr. Conor Griffin
Google DeepMind
Dr. Andrew Hebbeler
Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
Dr. Piers Millett
International Biosafety and Biosecurity Initiative for Science
Dr. Suryesh Namdeo
Indian Institute of Science
Mr. Sella Nevo
Meselson Center, RAND
Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Ravi Panwar
United Services Institution of India
Ms. Claire Qureshi
Sentinel Bio
Dr. Ryan Ritterson
Ms. Lama Saouma
Dr. Oyewale Tomori
African Center of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Redeemer's University
Mr. Brian Tse
Concordia AI
Dr. Nicole Wheeler
Advanced Research + Invention Agency
Mr. Zakariyau Yusuf
Tech Governance Project
Prof. Weiwen Zhang
Tianjin University Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy
2026
AIxBio Horizon Scan Finds Accelerating Capabilities Require Urgent Oversight
The convergence of artificial intelligence and the life sciences continues to accelerate. The AIxBio Horizon Scan: Spring 2026 shows that while individual advances may seem incremental, their combined trajectory is significant. Progress is outpacing governance frameworks.
AIxBio Horizon Scan: Spring 2026
Since the AIxBio Horizon Scan Winter 2025-2026 published in March 2026, there has been steady, incremental progress across AI-enabled biological tools. Protein design tools have continued to improve, agentic coding tools have matured in ways that lower barriers to computational biology, and commercial AI companies are making significant investments in the life sciences.
2025
Past Event
A Call to Action: The AIxBio Global Forum High-Level Statement on Biosecurity Risks at the Convergence of AI and the Life Sciences
Palais des Nations, Building E, Room XXII, Geneva, Switzerland
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13:15 – 14:45 CEST
International Experts Urge Collective Action to Address Emerging AIxBio Risks
More than 35 leading experts highlight the risks posed by rapidly advancing capabilities at the convergence of AI and the life sciences and call on governments, industry, the scientific community, and funders to take action to safeguard this technology.
Statement on Biosecurity Risks at the Convergence of AI and the Life Sciences
Statement on biosecurity risks at the convergence of and the life sciences developed in the context of the AIxBio Global Forum, which provides a platform for international experts, policymakers, and other key stakeholders to collaboratively advance practical solutions to safeguard capabilities at the convergence of AI and the life sciences.
NTI | bio Recommends Prioritizing AIxBio Safeguards in New U.S. AI Action Plan
NTI | bio has responded to the U.S. government request for information (RFI) related to the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan outlined by President Donald Trump’s January 2025 Executive Order, providing input on the highest priority actions to maintain and extend U.S. global leadership on AI.
NTI | bio, RAND Advance AIxBio Safety During Paris AI Action Summit
The official side event focused on safeguarding capabilities at the convergence of AI with the life sciences.
2024
NTI | bio Advances International Dialogue on AI Biosecurity Through Expert Working Groups
NTI | bio convened two technical working groups this fall to address critical challenges at the intersection of AI and the life sciences, bringing together more than 50 international experts from major AI companies, academic institutions, and biosecurity organizations.
NTI Convenes the First International AI-bio Forum
NTI | bio convened more than 25 high-level biosecurity professionals, AI experts, and policymakers for the inaugural meeting of the International AI-Bio Forum.
NTI Begins Scoping New International AI-Bio Forum
To reduce biosecurity risks that arise at the intersection of AI and the life sciences, NTI | bio convened experts in synthetic biology, machine learning, bioinformatics, and international security policy to outline steps toward establishing an international AI-Bio Forum.