2025

Artificial intelligence is no longer only lines of code or academic experiments. It is becoming a physical, operational force on battlefields, in critical infrastructure, and in state power. Dual-use applications are emerging that may impact global security. In short, AI has begun to play a...

Artificial Intelligence and semiconductors are emerging as critical pillars of modern military power and defense capabilities through autonomous systems or data-processing and decision-support tools. However, AI’s effectiveness depends on access to specialized semiconductors, produced through a globally fragmented and geopolitically sensitive supply chain. While advanced...

China, the U.S., and the EU all frame AI as part of global competition, often described as an ‘AI arms race’. The metaphor casts AI as a zero-sum struggle for technological supremacy, with winners gaining economic, political, and strategic advantages over adversaries. We argue that...

Debate on AI’s military use has intensified, initially with regard to (lethal) autonomous weapon systems. Autonomous weapon systems independently select, prioritize, and engage targets, making them lethal when humans are targeted. Emerging around 2010, debates around these weapon systems can now be found in the...

This chapter examines how AI is reshaping biological design, with new tools enabling advances in protein engineering and genetic research. It highlights recent developments that expand scientific capabilities while creating security concerns, including the potential design of harmful biological agents and cyber-bio threats. The chapter...

The integration of AI applications with chemistry tools is revolutionizing the operations of both academic and industrial chemical research. How we utilize these applications today will significantly influence the future of the discipline. The application of AI in chemistry has the potential to enable significant...

Artificial Intelligence has proven to be a powerful tool for analyzing large volumes of data, making it an important asset for future arms control verification regimes. This chapter explores potential consequences of AI for verification. We find that the availability of proper training data for...

The rise of drones on the contemporary battlefield shows no signs of slowing. Indeed, they are only becoming more important. Since last year’s summary article in the CNTR Monitor, the integration of artificial intelligence with drones has intensified and is particularly evident in the areas...

New types of nuclear facilities – using small modular reactors and novel advanced reactors – are seen as potential low-carbon source of electricity to complement renewables. These new concepts seek to replace the traditional large nuclear power plants with smaller facilities, housing clusters of small...

Self-Driving Laboratories represent a new technology integrating artificial intelligence, chemistry, and robotics with the goal of automating experimental laboratory work to make it faster, more reproducible, and – potentially – capable of operating without direct human intervention. While significant advancements have been achieved in recent...

This chapter examines the science behind mirror-image life forms, focusing on how such organisms might be built and how they could interact with natural ecosystems. It explains the importance of molecular chirality, highlights recent progress in synthesizing short mirror DNA strands, and discusses why some...

DNA synthesis technologies are rapidly advancing and becoming more widely accessible, raising concerns about their potential misuse in the creation of harmful biological agents. Screening measures exist but remain fragmented and voluntary, leaving gaps that could be exploited, particularly given developments in AI that enable...

The character of warfare is continuously and rapidly evolving. This chapter explores military technologies that may come to dominate future battlefields. Will the war against Ukraine become the future benchmark for military technology, or are countries already thinking ahead? By analyzing the two latest military...