Biotech and Biosecurity Policymakers Must Elevate Their Focus on Data

The report highlights a critical shortage of holistic, AI-ready biological data in the US, which limits the potential of AI/ML in biotechnology and biodefense. It argues that the US government should transition from merely curating data to actively creating high-quality, standardized data sets. The authors emphasize that without rigorous benchmarks and standards to address biological variability, AI-driven discoveries face significant translational risks. The document also discusses the tension between open data sharing and the need to secure data to prevent the creation of enhanced bioweapons, calling for updated Dual Use of Research Concern (DURC) guidelines. Finally, it reviews recent US policy momentum, including the Genesis Mission and various cloud laboratory legislative efforts, as essential steps toward a secure bioeconomy.

• The US biological data environment is currently fragmented, underfunded, and insecure, which limits the effectiveness of AI-ready data sets in national security applications.
• AI and machine learning tools in biology present a dual-use challenge: they can accelerate personalized medicine and precision agriculture, but can also be misused by nefarious actors to create enhanced bioweapons.
• Biological data is inherently complex and heterogeneous, often requiring significant effort to integrate due to diverse formats, high dimensionality, and variability across different model systems and biochemical mediators.
• There is a critical lack of standardization and domain-specific benchmarks in AI/ML biological studies, which undermines the ability to ensure the physiological relevance and reproducibility of outcomes.
• The US government should move beyond curating existing databases to actively generating high-quality, multi-omic, and multi-modal data sets, potentially housing these capabilities in national labs or Federally Funded Research and Development Centers to manage security risks.
• Current US policy momentum includes the Genesis Mission, which aims to build an integrated AI platform for federal scientific data, and legislative efforts like the AI-Ready Bio-Data Standards Act and the Cloud Labs to Advance Biotechnology Act.
• Updating Dual Use of Research Concern (DURC) policies is urgent to ensure that data repositories are secured against actors seeking to develop evasion techniques for biosecurity screening.

APA

Mukundan, H., Grant, C., & Parthemore, C. (2026). Biotech and Biosecurity Policymakers Must Elevate Their Focus on Data. The Council on Strategic Risks. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2026/06/26/biotech-and-biosecurity-policymakers-must-elevate-their-focus-on-data/

Chicago

Mukundan, Harshini, Crystal Grant, and Christine Parthemore. Biotech and Biosecurity Policymakers Must Elevate Their Focus on Data. The Council on Strategic Risks, 2026. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2026/06/26/biotech-and-biosecurity-policymakers-must-elevate-their-focus-on-data/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mukundan |first1=Harshini |last2=Grant |first2=Crystal |last3=Parthemore |first3=Christine |title=Biotech and Biosecurity Policymakers Must Elevate Their Focus on Data |publisher=The Council on Strategic Risks |date=26 June 2026 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2026/06/26/biotech-and-biosecurity-policymakers-must-elevate-their-focus-on-data/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mukundan2026biotech, author = {Mukundan, Harshini and Grant, Crystal and Parthemore, Christine}, title = {{Biotech and Biosecurity Policymakers Must Elevate Their Focus on Data}}, institution = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2026}, month = jun, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2026/06/26/biotech-and-biosecurity-policymakers-must-elevate-their-focus-on-data/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }