February 13, 2026
America’s Key to Biotechnology Leadership? AI-Ready Biodata.
This article was originally published in Just Security.
From strengthening armor for U.S. warfighters to patching supply chain vulnerabilities, the convergence of AI and biotechnology could redefine U.S. national and economic security. Dramatic technical advancements in both fields mean that the building blocks of life, such as DNA and RNA, are understood and programmable. Humans now have the tools to shape life, carrying the potential to create better crops, livestock, materials, medicines, and manufacturing. The AI-biotechnology nexus stands to promote food and energy security, power the economy, safeguard the environment, and protect Americans from future pandemics and biothreats.
To realize the broad potential of biotechnology, the United States needs diversity in biodata at multiple levels: genetic, geographic, environmental, and experimental.
Seizing this potential, however, will hinge on improving the United States’ access to high-quality, secure biological data (biodata) designed specifically for AI. Existing biodata repositories lack the consistency, metadata, and trust needed to develop tailored AI models. To lead in biotechnology, the United States must modernize its data infrastructure and create biodata built for the AI future. U.S. leadership in AI-enabled biotechnology will depend less on new algorithms than on whether the United States treats biodata as secure national infrastructure.
Read the full article on Just Security.
More from CNAS
-
Reports
Technology & National Security
Quantum's Industrial MomentQuantum technologies are approaching a critical inflection point. Over the next three to five years, quantum sensors and computers that have long remained confined to laborato...
By Constanza M. Vidal Bustamante & Dr. John Burke
-
Podcast
Technology & National Security
Silicon Valley Goes to WarAs reports emerge of AI-powered weapons systems deployed in strikes on Iran, Dr. Sarah Shoker, Senior Research Scholar at UC Berkeley, and Paul Scharre, Executive Vice Preside...
By Paul Scharre
-
Podcast
Technology & National Security
Anthropic-Pentagon Clash Spotlights the Role of AI in WarAnthropic sued the U.S. Department of Defense on Monday over its decision to designate the San Francisco AI company a “supply-chain risk to America’s national security.” That’...
By Paul Scharre
-
Video
Technology & National Security
Jack Shanahan: An Inside Look at Track 2 AI Meetings Between the U.S. and ChinaJack Shanahan has become synonymous with the adoption of artificial intelligence in the U.S. Department of Defense. As the founding director of the Joint AI Center, which was ...
By Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan
