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.
Nuclear-weapon-free zones (NWFZs) are one of the most successful and enduring elements of the global effort to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. Practical steps exist that could strengthen NWFZ resilience, reinvigorate engagement within and between them, and create opportunities for leadership.
This paper offers actionable ideas to help governments strengthen IAEA nuclear security recommendations’ effectiveness, adaptability, and long-term resilience amid rapid technological change and evolving risks.
The AIxBio field stands at a critical juncture where rapid capability advances are outpacing governance frameworks and safety measures. The next 18 months will likely prove pivotal in determining whether voluntary safety practices by AI companies, emerging evaluation frameworks, and international coordination efforts can keep pace with technological development.
Managed access will be critical for reducing biosecurity risks related to the misuse of biological AI tools. By working to develop best practices for each element of this framework—risk levels, tiered access, and practices to verify legitimacy—developers of biological AI tools and the broader life sciences community can reduce risks while maintaining the benefits of these tools.
Funders play a key role in shaping how life science research is conducted. This new framework—developed collaboratively by a diverse group of internationally recognized experts—helps funders identify proposals that may require additional biosafety or biosecurity review and supports risk-mitigation efforts.
Amid a combination of economic slowdown, reductions in official development assistance, rising biological threats, and climate change’s disproportionate impact on Africa, leaders and experts call for data-driven tools to guide strategic health security investments.
The 2025 Next Generation for Biosecurity Competition Winning Paper
Despite the high stakes, the economic and financial considerations of nuclear weapons use remain underexplored. This paper examines several decades of research on economic and financial effects of nuclear weapons use, and explores the key gaps in our understanding of effects in today’s interconnected world.
Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) States Parties have a critical window of opportunity to take concrete steps toward enhancing transparency and building confidence in compliance with the norm against biological weapons development.
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