The 做厙TV (NAM), in collaboration with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and with support from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), will convene a two-day workshop on August 11-12, 2026, examining how advances in artificial intelligence (AI) may reshape biological risks, preparedness, and response in the years ahead.
As AI increasingly transforms the life sciences, including biological design, disease detection, and drug discovery, experts are working to better understand how these technologies could affect biosecurity, public health, and medical countermeasure preparedness. The workshop will bring together leaders from AI, biotechnology, public health, medicine, biosecurity, government, and industry to examine how AI-enabled biological risks may evolve, identify critical uncertainties, and explore opportunities to strengthen preparedness systems.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing泭what is possible in泭biology, from scientific discovery to the泭development of泭tools泭that泭protect public health. At the same time, these advances raise important questions about泭how biological risks may evolve泭and泭whether current preparedness systems are equipped to respond, said Victor J. Dzau, 做厙TVpresident.泭This workshop will bring together experts from across disciplines to help clarify those risks, identify knowledge gaps, and explore practical steps to strengthen preparedness for future biological threats.泭
Discussions will explore how AI may meaningfully expand biological capabilities, with particular attention to AI-enabled biological and viral design.泭The workshop will泭examine how risks may泭emerge across the AI-bio lifecycle, from model development and biological design to synthesis, access, detection, and deployment, while also focusing on泭distinguishing what may be technically possible from what is likely in practice, identifying key uncertainties, and considering how public health, biosecurity, and preparedness systems may need to adapt to emerging technologies.
A multidisciplinary planning committee has been泭convened泭to help design the workshop and泭identify泭key topics for discussion. Committee members bring泭expertise泭spanning AI, computational biology, synthetic biology, genomics, infectious diseases, biosecurity and biosafety, medical countermeasure development, public health preparedness, global health, and science and technology policy. The Workshop Planning Committee Members are listed below.泭
- Lalitha Sundaram, PhD, University of Cambridge (Co-chair)泭
- Herbert Skip Virgin, MD, PhD, Washington University School of Medicine (Co-chair)泭
- Kate Adamala, PhD,狹niversity of Minnesota泭
- Jasper G繹tting, PhD,特梗釵喝娶梗詁勳棗泭
- Christian Happi, PhD,爹edeemers University; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health泭
- Sebastian Maurer-Stroh, PhD,涉*STAR泭泭
- Harshini Mukundan, PhD,烊awrence Berkeley National Laboratory泭
- Suryesh Kumar Namdeo, PhD,涅ndian Institute of Science,泭Bangalore泭
- Amarda Shehu, PhD,涊eorge Mason University泭
- Yunyun Wang, OpenAI
Insights from the workshop will help inform a forthcoming National Academies泭泭focused on how advances in AI and biotechnology may change biological risks and preparedness needs in the future. The study will examine both the potential benefits and risks of these technologies, including their implications for the development of vaccines, treatments, diagnostics, and public health response systems. The final report will provide recommendations to help policymakers, researchers, public health leaders, and other stakeholders strengthen preparedness for emerging biological threats.
Learn more about preparing for a future of AI-enabled biology.
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