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.
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.
China Arms Control and Disarmament Association (CACDA) and Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) Joint Statement on Shared Priorities for Strengthened Biosecurity & Responsible AI-Biotechnology Innovation
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.
AIxBio capabilities hold immense promise—but they also introduce unprecedented risks. The exploitation of AIxBio capabilities for harm is a plausible near-term risk—and the time for action is now. NTI | bio offers actionable recommendations for governments, industry leaders, and philanthropic organizations to prevent catastrophic misuse.
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.
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.
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) with the life sciences offers tremendous potential benefits to society, but advances in AI biodesign tools also pose significant risks of misuse, with the potential for global consequences.
New report from NTI | bio offers recommendations for urgent actions that leaders within government, industry, the scientific community, and civil society should take to safeguard AI-bio capabilities.
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