Book Review: The Age of AI in the Life Sciences: Benefits and Biosecurity Considerations
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2025)
This National Academies consensus report offers a sober, policy-oriented examination of how artificial intelligence is reshaping the life sciences, while simultaneously raising new biosecurity concerns. Rather than celebrating AI uncritically or warning against it in abstract terms, the book’s core strength lies in its balanced, evidence-driven assessment of both promise and risk.
The report is structured around a central tension: AI is becoming an increasingly powerful tool for biological discovery, yet many of the same capabilities that accelerate beneficial research could also lower barriers to misuse. On the benefits side, the book clearly documents how AI enhances pattern recognition in large biological datasets, accelerates drug and vaccine discovery, improves biosurveillance, and supports rapid response to emerging health threats. These discussions are grounded in current scientific practice rather than speculative futurism, which gives the analysis credibility.
Equally important is the book’s treatment of biosecurity. The authors avoid alarmism, carefully distinguishing between what AI can realistically do today and what might become possible as models, data, and automation improve. They emphasize that AI does not replace fundamental biological constraints or experimental expertise, but they also note that AI could reduce the time, cost, and expertise needed to perform certain high-risk tasks. This framing is one of the report’s strongest contributions: risk is presented as incremental and evolving, not binary.
The policy analysis is pragmatic. Instead of calling for blanket restrictions, the report focuses on governance mechanisms, institutional responsibility, and risk-aware deployment. It highlights the importance of data stewardship, access controls, research oversight, and international cooperation. Notably, the book underscores that many biosecurity challenges raised by AI are extensions of existing dual-use issues in the life sciences, now amplified by scale and speed rather than fundamentally transformed.
As a consensus document, the prose is restrained and sometimes dense. Readers seeking narrative flow or strong normative positions may find the style dry. However, this is largely unavoidable given the book’s purpose. Its intended audience—policymakers, research administrators, security analysts, and senior scientists—will likely appreciate the careful tone, clear definitions, and systematic treatment of uncertainties.
One limitation is that the report remains largely focused on the U.S. policy context, even though AI development and biological research are globally distributed. While international dimensions are acknowledged, readers interested in detailed comparative governance frameworks may find this aspect underdeveloped.
Overall, The Age of AI in the Life Sciences is a timely and authoritative contribution. It neither overstates AI’s transformative power nor underestimates its potential risks. Instead, it provides a realistic foundation for informed decision-making at the intersection of science, security, and public policy. For anyone involved in AI-enabled biological research or its governance, this book is not optional reading—it is foundational.