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Navigating the Benefits and Risks of Publishing Studies of In Silico Modeling and Computational Approaches of Biological Agents and Organisms – A Workshop

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The National Academies will convene a committee to organize a workshop on navigating the benefits and biosecurity risks of communicating studies involving the use of computational modeling and generative Artificial Intelligence to understand and design biological systems. The committee will consider existing guidance, challenges safeguarding the benefits of publishing studies in life sciences while mitigating risks, the relevance of ongoing AI safety efforts, and policy options. Experts from journals, professional societies, academia, and industry will be actively engaged through a series of events, and key themes will be summarized in the workshop proceedings.

Description

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will convene a planning committee to plan and facilitate a workshop on opportunities for considering and navigating benefits and biosecurity risks of communicating studies involving computational modeling and analysis, including the use of generative artificial intelligence, of biological systems at the publication stage. The committee will consider: a) existing statements, policies and guidance, and risk mitigation practices (or safeguards) on dual use research of concern and pathogens of pandemic potential relevant to communication and publication of covered scientific activities; b) challenges and needs to effectively safeguard the benefits and promote the advances of use of computational models and analysis with biological systems, while also mitigating the risks of generating or releasing these models and associated biological information that may present to human, animal, plant, and/or ecological health and/or national security; c) relevance and utility of evolving efforts on AI safety to communication of studies involving in silico modeling and analysis and/or generative AI with biological systems; and d) policy options and norms for safeguarding the benefits and advances while reducing the risks. The committee will engage experts from leading scientific journals that publish research in biology and associated fields, professional societies and associations, Academies of Science, academia, industry, and other nongovernmental entities in the workshop. Critical themes from the workshop discussion will be summarized in a workshop proceedings.

Collaborators

Committee

Co-Chair

Co-Chair

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Audrey Thevenon

Staff Officer

Sponsors

National Science Foundation

Staff

Audrey Thevenon

Lead

Nam Vu

Jessica De Mouy

Katherine Bowman

Christl Saunders

Kavita Berger

Dasia McKoy

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