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CRS Report Discusses Topics to be Covered in Congress

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) (https://crsreports.congress.gov) report "Science and Technology Issues for the 118th Congress" submitted in April, presents a section on the "Convergence of Biotechnology, Digital Data, Robotics, and Artificial Intelligence".

The report notes that as biotechnology has advanced, other fields such as nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital management have also advanced.

For example, advances in DNA sequencing technologies have made it possible to sequence entire genomes in greater depth and at a lower cost. The resulting digital sequence information can be stored in proprietary or public databases, many of which are publicly funded and freely accessible to parties to download.

Today, by combining biology, computer-aided design, robotics, and engineering technologies in a single facility increasingly provides an infrastructure that enables rapid design, construction, and testing of engineered organisms for biotechnology applications and research.

This has led to the establishment of new industries and the emergence of new communities of practice. At the same time, increased access to digital sequence information, combined with advances in artificial intelligence, and robotics has raised biosafety and biosecurity concerns.

The report presents the question, "Should the 118th Congress and policymakers consider whether current policies addressing the convergence of biotechnology, digital data, robotics, and artificial intelligence are sufficient ad adequately balanced, or whether new oversight authorities are needed to manage the emerging biosafety and biosecurity issues?"

Go to (https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R47373) for the report "Science and Technology Issues for the 118th Congress" updated April 2023.