While advancements in biotechnology hold immense promise for health and innovation, they also come with significant risks if misused.
Every wave of change brings risks with it. As technology gathers pace, risks are becoming multidimensional.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) recently published two reports that highlight the technology risks of 2025.
The 'Global Risk Report' calls weaponisation of biotechnology a key risk, "Biotech-based weapons could also become increasingly integrated with other (non-biological) weaponry."
"Cyber espionage and warfare, and biological, chemical or nuclear weapons and hazards used in combination have far greater, compounding impacts than when used on their own."
While advancements in biotechnology hold immense promise for health and innovation, they also come with significant risks if misused, says the report.
Advancements can be misused by 'threat actors' to create or modify biological agents, potentially leading to pandemics or targeted biological attacks.
The increasing accessibility of these technologies makes it easier for non-state actors to develop biological weapons.
Without comprehensive global guidelines, there's a risk that some entities may ignore ethical considerations, leading to new sources of division and conflict.
Establishing and enforcing these boundaries is crucial to ensure responsible use of biotechnology.
Balancing the benefits of biotech with its potential risks will be complex for industry and policymakers.
The second WEF report, Global CyberSecurity Outlook for 2025, underlines factors complicating the fight against cyberattacks.
'Increased integration and dependence on more complex supply chains are leading to a more opaque and unpredictable risk landscape.
'The rapid adoption of emerging technologies is contributing to new vulnerabilities and new threats,' the outlook says.
The proliferation of international regulatory requirements is an additional compliance burden for organisations.
These issues are compounded by a widening skills gap that further complicates the ability to manage cyber risks effectively.
'In a complex cyberspace characterised by geopolitical uncertainties, widening cyber inequity and sophisticated cyber threats, leaders must adopt a security-first mindset,' it says.
Artificial intelligence (AI), ransomware-as-a-service and advanced social engineering are allowing threat actors to stay ahead of traditional defence.
WEF says that to effectively address evolving threats, it's essential to develop advanced technological solutions and foster cross-sector collaboration and knowledge-sharing.
By working together, different sectors can pool their expertise and resources to create robust adaptive defence mechanisms.
Another report by Forrester Research looks at the financial risks associated with investing in technology.
Enterprises are using AI to improve customer experience and employee productivity and get new revenue streams. But an "AI reset" is underway across various sectors and industries, Forrester says.
Leaders are realising that the return on investment (ROI) from their technology initiatives will take longer than they expected.
Some are holding back investments as ROI is becoming difficult to promptly assess.
'Impatience with AI ROI could prompt enterprises to prematurely scale back investments, which would be a long-term disadvantage,' the Forrester report says.
Generative AI (GenAI) will come under regulatory scrutiny from 2025. This will pose a serious risk to service providers and users.
Starting February 2025, the European Union (EU) will begin enforcing the bloc's AI Act's requirements on prohibited use cases through private actions.
The enforcement will expand to general-purpose AI (GPAI) models -- AI machines like GenAI designed to perform a wide range of intelligent tasks -- in June 2025.
'Organisations that are not prepared will inevitably face a third-party risk nightmare.
'As companies diversify the GenAI models they use, they must vet their providers carefully and ensure that they collect all of the evidence necessary to avoid exposing themselves to investigation and fines,' says Forrester.
As regulation and technology wade into uncharted waters, unanticipated risks will abound.
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
© 2025