OECD Will Hold Webinar on Policy Paper on Synthetic Biology, AI, and Automation

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) will hold a webinar on May 27, 2026, on a November 2025 policy paper, “Synthetic biology, AI and automation: A forward-looking technology assessment,” that lays out a series of concrete cases where these technologies are coming together and how they could develop in the future. According to OECD, the convergence of synthetic biology with artificial intelligence (AI) and automation is accelerating the pace of innovation, improving accessibility, and enabling more complex applications. The policy paper provides the groundwork for an analysis on the policy and governance implications (from biosecurity to data supply chains to technology security) and accompanying policy options. The webinar will present high-level takeaways from this work, “with invited guests — from academia and tech companies as well as policymakers — providing lightning interventions on the developments in their fields.” The webinar will include a question and answer period and the audience will have a chance to participate in a discussion to understand the current state of the convergence and where future action is needed most.