AIxBio Horizon Scans

A regular assessment of the convergence of artificial intelligence and the life sciences.

Every six months, NTI | bio publishes an AIxBio Horizon Scan examining current capabilities at the intersection of AI and the life sciences. These scans also identify developments expected over the next three years and highlight the governance questions they are likely to raise.

The scans are written with three primary audiences in mind:

• Policymakers and legislators, who need a structured view of how this technology space may evolve.
• Biosecurity experts and other policy researchers, who benefit from a comprehensive understanding of current and emerging trends when designing new safeguards.
• Technology developers across the commercial and academic sectors, who want to stay informed about innovations, market dynamics, and policy changes shaping their work.

Making sense of a fast-changing landscape 

At any given time, it can be difficult to assess the AIxBio landscape and where it is headed. Capability gains often outpace peer-reviewed literature, appearing across model releases, preprints, product launches and benchmark testing. Policymakers who wait for the picture to settle risk acting on an already outdated landscape, while researchers and practitioners may struggle to track every element across adjacent areas of the field. Together, this limits timely and effective safeguards at both the technical and policy levels.

The Horizon Scan helps address this by establishing a shared baseline—what is known, what is emerging, and where key questions remain. This baseline supports timely safeguards, clearer research priorities, and policy conversations grounded in the current technical reality.

Each scan draws on three primary sources:

1. Published literature and technical reporting, including peer-reviewed research, preprints, model evaluations, and credible industry disclosures.
2. Structured expert engagement, with input from approximately 10-20 experts across academia, industry, and policy. In addition to inviting new experts for each Horizon Scan, previous participants are re-invited to ensure continuity.
3. Review by the Working Group on Horizon Scanning, Risking Assessment, and Evaluations, under the AIxBio Global Forum. Working group members provide input on draft findings and highlight key gaps for further analysis.

Contribute to the Horizon Scans

If you have suggestions for future scans or would like to participate in the expert engagement process, contact us at [email protected].