The Nuclear Threat Initiative will be on the ground next week at the 2024 Munich Security Conference (MSC) where NTI Co-Chair and CEO Ernest J. Moniz and colleagues will launch the International Biosecurity and Biosafety Initiative for Science (IBBIS) and host an official side event on “The Convergence of Artificial Intelligence and the Life Sciences.”
In addition, Moniz, along with members of the Euro-Atlantic Security Leadership Group (EASLG), will host an official side event around the release of a statement headlined “Shrinking the Zone of Confrontation and Competition: Principles for Euro-Atlantic Security and the Global Nuclear Order.
NTI | bio Activities at MSC
On Thursday, Feb. 15, NTI | bio will host an official side event to launch the International Biosecurity and Biosafety Initiative for Science (IBBIS). Amid rapid advances in bioscience and biotechnology that offer significant potential societal benefits but could also pose significant global security risks without effective guardrails, IBBIS will be a first-of-its-kind organization to strengthen international biosecurity governance. Speakers will include:
- Ernest J. Moniz, NTI co-chair and CEO
- Jeremy Farrar, chief scientist, World Health Organization
- Weiwen Zhang, director, Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University
- James Diggans, head of biosecurity, Twist Bioscience
- Luciana Borio, venture partner, ARCH Venture Partners and senior fellow for global health, Council on Foreign Relations
- Piers Millett, executive director, IBBIS
- Jaime Yassif, vice president, NTI | bio.
The launch event will be held from 15:30-17:00 at the Literaturhaus München, Saal conference room, Salvatorplatz 1. RSVP here.
For accredited press, Piers Millett and Jaime Yassif will hold a press availability regarding IBBIS and related issues on Friday, Feb. 16 at 10:30 a.m. at the Hotel Rosewood Munich’s Press Briefing Room.
On Friday, Feb. 16, NTI | bio will host an official side event “The Convergence of Artificial Intelligence and the Life Sciences: How to Safeguard Technology, Rethink Governance, and Prevent Catastrophe.” This roundtable discussion will focus on the status of AI-bio capabilities, the implications for biosecurity and international security, and options for governance to safeguard these rapidly emerging technologies. Speakers will include:
- Sarah Carter, principal, Science Policy Consulting
- James Diggans, head of biosecurity, Twist Bioscience
- Michael Sellitto, head of geopolitics and security policy, Anthropic
- Jaime Yassif, vice president, NTI | bio.
The event will be held from 15:30-17:00 at the Literaturhaus München, Bibliothek room, Salvatorplatz 1.
If you will be in Munich and would like to attend any of these events, please contact Cathy Gwin at [email protected] or 202-270-5942.
EASLG Offers Principles for Euro-Atlantic Security
In a statement headlined “Shrinking the Zone of Confrontation and Competition: Principles for Euro-Atlantic Security and the Global Nuclear Order,” EASLG leaders Des Browne, Wolfgang Ischinger, Ernest J. Moniz, and Sam Nunn join more than 45 other leaders in outlining seven principles that provide a foundation for officials and experts to re-engage and eventually make progress toward shrinking the zone of confrontation and competition, reducing nuclear risks, and building mutual security.
Read the statement.