The Biosecurity Handbook

Biological Security in the AI Era

A guide for two communities that don’t speak the same language.

Welcome to The Biosecurity Handbook

This handbook covers biosecurity fundamentals and how AI is changing biological risk. It’s written for two audiences that don’t always speak the same language: public health and biosecurity professionals who need to understand AI capabilities, and AI safety researchers who need biological and epidemiological context.

The handbook is organized into five parts: Foundations, Operational Biosecurity, The Democratization of Biology, AI and Biosecurity, and Governance and Futures. You can read sequentially or jump to the section most relevant to your work.

This resource is continuously updated as new research emerges.

A Note on Dual-Use Content

This handbook addresses biological security risks. Technical details that could enable misuse are cited from peer-reviewed literature but not expanded upon. The focus is frameworks, governance, and risk assessment, not operational protocols.

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Quick Start: Choose Your Path

Select the pathway that matches your role and immediate needs:

Public Health / Epidemiologists

“I work in infectious disease surveillance or pandemic preparedness”

Start here: - What Is Biosecurity? - Core concepts - Outbreak Detection and Surveillance - Surveillance systems - AI for Biosecurity Defense - AI applications

Your focus: Genomic surveillance, outbreak detection, AI-enhanced early warning systems

AI Safety Researchers

“I evaluate biosecurity risks from AI/ML systems”

Start here: - AI as a Biosecurity Risk Amplifier - Threat modeling - LLMs and Information Hazards - LLM evaluations - Red-Teaming AI Systems - Evaluation frameworks

Your focus: Model evaluations, red-teaming methods, assessing what AI shouldn’t reveal

Policymakers / Governance

“I develop policy frameworks for biosecurity or AI governance”

Start here: - Executive Summary - Key findings and recommendations - International Governance and the BWC - Classical frameworks - Dual-Use Research of Concern - DURC governance - Policy Frameworks for AI-Bio Convergence - Emerging governance - The Future of Biosecurity - Scenarios and trajectories

Your focus: Regulatory frameworks, international coordination, governance gaps

Laboratory Personnel

“I work in BSL-3/BSL-4 labs or manage biosafety programs”

Start here: - Laboratory Biosafety and Biosecurity - BSL protocols - Dual-Use Research of Concern - DURC oversight - Case Studies - Laboratory incidents

Your focus: Physical security, personnel reliability, incident response

Students / Career Seekers

“I want to enter the biosecurity field”

Start here: - What Is Biosecurity? - Foundation - Read Part I sequentially - Core concepts - Building a Biosecurity Career - Pathways and institutions

Your focus: Academic pathways, key institutions, emerging career opportunities

Synthetic Biologists / Researchers

“I work in synthetic biology or biotechnology R&D”

Start here: - Synthetic Biology and Democratization - Dual-use implications - Gain-of-Function Research - GOF governance - DURC - Dual-use oversight

Your focus: Responsible research practices, screening frameworks, governance

New to biosecurity entirely: Read Part I: Foundations sequentially → Part I: Foundations

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Book Structure: Roadmap

Figure 1: How the handbook is organized

Part I: Foundations

Core biosecurity concepts, threat landscape, and pathogens of concern

Chapters 1-3
Start here if new to biosecurity

Key topics: Biosecurity vs. biosafety, natural vs. deliberate threats, select agents, pathogen characteristics

Part II: Operational Biosecurity

Laboratory biosafety, DURC, BWC, surveillance, and countermeasures

Chapters 4-8
Essential governance frameworks

Key topics: BSL-1 through BSL-4, dual-use research oversight, Biological Weapons Convention, genomic surveillance, medical countermeasures

Part III: The Democratization of Biology

Synthetic biology, gain-of-function, and gene drives

Chapters 9-12 The changing landscape

Key topics: DNA synthesis democratization, GOF research governance, gene drive risks, environmental biosecurity

Part IV: AI and Biosecurity

AI as risk amplifier, LLMs, pathogen design, defense applications, and red-teaming

Chapters 13-19 The AI chapters

Includes: Threat modeling, LLM information hazards, AlphaFold implications, AI surveillance systems, digital biosurveillance, red-teaming methodologies, uplift studies

Part V: Governance and Futures

Policy frameworks, career pathways, case studies, and future scenarios

Chapters 20-25 Forward-looking perspectives

Topics: AI-bio convergence governance, global surveillance equity, biosecurity career guide, failures and successes, future trajectories

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Related Resources

This handbook is part of a series on AI in health:

• The Physician AI Handbook - Evidence-based AI guidance for clinicians across all medical specialties
• The Public Health AI Handbook - AI applications for epidemiologists and public health practitioners

Built on work from NTI, RAND, Anthropic, CDC OAMD, the Africa CDC Pathogen Genomics Initiative, and the genomic surveillance community.

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License & Citation

© 2025 Bryan Tegomoh. All rights reserved.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

You are free to: Share, copy, redistribute, adapt, remix, and build upon this material for any purpose, including commercially, with attribution.

Full license details | CC BY 4.0 Legal Code

How to Cite

Tegomoh, B. (2025). The Biosecurity Handbook: Biological Security in the AI Era (Version 1.0). https://biosecurityhandbook.com