Motivating Policymakers to Safeguard Modern Biology

Threats posed by the misuse of modern biology are growing. Emerging technologies are reducing the barriers for bad actors to cause catastrophic harm. But policymakers can step in to reduce these risks. To do so they not only need proposed solutions, but they must understand the challenges and be motivated to act.

NTI focuses on developing solutions and delivering action. Doing so requires that we clearly communicate and connect with decision makers who are not necessarily experts in the field. This is how we do that.

Ensure the issues resonate

Biology is complex, but our messaging should not be. The emerging biological risks we face impact the daily lives of people, and we must be able to communicate this clearly and simply. By making these issues understandable and tangible (without employing scare tactics) policymakers can better understand how regulatory gaps, for example, could lead to a biological incident that directly affects them, their families, and their constituents. At the same time, they should recognize that overregulation risks losing out on the huge benefits of these advancements.

Scenario-based tabletop exercises are effective ways to provide digestible technical information and to make the risks feel real. For example, NTI conducted a senior leader tabletop exercise at this year’s Munich Security Conference focused on safeguarding rapidly advancing capabilities at the convergence of AI and the life sciences. Through a fictional scenario, we illustrated how misapplied technology can lead to catastrophe.

Storytelling increases the likelihood that information will be absorbed, and the tabletop format allows for real-time answers to technical questions. Simulated news casts make the situation feel real, motivating participants to take action to avoid fiction from becoming reality.

Involve industry and funders in the process 

To counter the narrative that regulation blocks progress, we need to integrate industry and non-governmental partners into efforts to develop safeguards that reduce risk and protect innovation.

Industry-led efforts demonstrate to policymakers the willingness of the private sector to establish best practices that shape formal regulation. For example, NTI worked with industry partners to develop the Common Mechanism, an open-source software tool for nucleic acid synthesis providers to screen incoming orders to prevent the building blocks of life from being misapplied to cause harm.  By showcasing positive results from beta testing, we can demonstrate that the availability of effective and free tools, like the Common Mechanism, reduces the burden of screening for companies. This increases confidence in developing and promoting nucleic acid screening regulations without worrying about overregulation hobbling the industry.

NTI partnered with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and other influential life science funders to develop and launch the Bio Funders Compact, a voluntary, public commitment to incorporate biosecurity into funders’ decision-making processes to prevent unduly risky projects from moving forward. Best practices in this area do not exist, so signatories have committed to piloting and sharing the approaches that worked for them. These proven risk mitigation strategies can inform the development of policies and regulations aimed at providing impactful biosecurity intervention early in the bioscience and biotechnology research and development life cycle while still enabling innovation.

Provide platforms for collective advocacy

From academia to industry to national laboratories, modern bioscience connects many diverse interests. Developing and communicating a common vision of risk is helpful in focusing policymakers on the highest priorities. By hearing the same message from different actors, policymakers can be more confident they are meeting the needs of the community and are not inadvertently working against the interests of a particular stakeholder. This is especially important for biotech governance issues where industry, academia, and security may, on the surface, seem to have divergent views. Recognizing the power of demonstrating the common interests among these sectors, NTI employs a collective advocacy approach through the AIxBio Global Forum, a platform for AI model developers in industry and academia, biosecurity experts, life scientists, and government representatives to address biosecurity risks posed by the convergence of AI and the life sciences. One of the first actions of this group will be to draft and release a high-level statement on biosecurity risks at the intersection of AI and the life sciences, demonstrating a shared vision among the Forum members of the highest priority risks on which global policymakers should focus their attention.

By uniting diverse voices to convey resonant messages, we can transform the way policymakers perceive and address biosecurity risks. Together, we can ensure that advances in modern biology are harnessed safely and securely, protecting our future while fostering innovation.