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. Participants included representatives from industry, such as Anthropic and Google DeepMind, experts from China, India, Nigeria, the U.K., the U.S., and representatives from multilateral institutions. The virtual meeting was held on April 10-11 and focused on defining the scope, institutional structure, and initial priorities of the International AI-Bio Forum to position it for success in reducing risks associated with rapidly advancing AI-enabled capabilities to engineering living systems.

Meeting participants voiced support for the International AI-Bio Forum, noting the current lack of a global platform to share best practices and coordinate efforts to reduce risks at the intersection of AI and the life sciences. Participants also stressed the importance of international cooperation on developing effective guardrails, including by involving countries without advanced AI capabilities. As one participant noted: “The benefits of AI will take investment to realize, but the risks will come for free.”

The work of the International AI-Bio Forum builds on a key recommendation from a recent NTI | bio report, “The Convergence of Artificial Intelligence and the Life Sciences.” Based on feedback from the recent meeting, the AI-Bio Forum will:

• Convene international stakeholders from key sectors to develop a shared understanding of biosecurity risks related to AI.
• Develop a research agenda that supports the development and dissemination of tools and practices to protect the beneficial application of AI while guarding against downside risks.
• Promote the adoption of national and global governance mechanisms that support stronger biosecurity for AI-bio capabilities.

NTI | bio will continue to work with experts in the field to scope the new International AI-Bio Forum and identify key research and development priorities. Rapidly evolving AI capabilities underscore the need to establish the AI-Bio Forum quickly, while working to build a strong international coalition to advance lasting solutions that can be implemented in countries around the world. The next meeting of the Forum will take place in early June as part of NTI’s annual Biosecurity Innovation and Risk Reduction Initiative.