Conference: ReDDDoT Phase 1: Workshop: Artificial Intelligence and Biosecurity: Technologies and Policy Options to Leverage Opportunities and Mitigate Risks

Responding to public interest in artificial intelligence (AI), governments, scientists, and industry actors are collaborating to better understand the implications of AI technology so that they can maximize its benefits and reduce its risks. The workshop will build on this ongoing research by convening a diverse group of public sector, industry, and other expert stakeholders to discuss how scientists and policymakers can improve protections against biological threats using public policy around emerging AI tools and biotechnology. The workshop aligns with NSF’s goals for broad public impact by creating bridges across siloes of expertise with the goal of sustained future collaboration. This workshop is responsive to recommendations by the National Academies, the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity, the U.S. Intelligence Community, the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology, and others to the need for focused inquiry to make meaningful progress on key policy issues that inform the federal and international approach to emerging applications of artificial intelligence for biology. The project will consist of a full-day workshop with breakout sessions for focused discussion in Washington, DC. Workshop organizers will invite individuals from diverse backgrounds and affiliations to build new collaborative connections across attendees. The workshop will lay the groundwork for future technical and public policy research in AI and biotechnology, seed cross-sectoral collaborations on high-priority scientific questions, and prioritize promising solutions. The discussion will leverage the expertise of a geographically and professionally diverse set of expert participants across academia and industry. The organizers will create a written report to summarize recommendations from the workshop that aims to be informative for national and international science policy. The report will be publicly available online and shared by the organizing committee. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.