science&Technologyorganization(STO)

Artificial

IntelligenceBriefingpaper1/9

ArtificialIntelligence(AI)referstotheabilityofmachinestoperformtasksthattraditionallyrequirehuman

intelligence,suchaspatternrecognition,learningfrom

experience,drawingconclusions,andmakingpredictions.AIenhancesdigitalcomputersoftwareandphysical

autonomoussystems.Itwilllikelyplayaprominent

roleincombatmodelsandsimulation,targetdetectionandrecognition,decisionsupport,cyberdefenceandautonomousvehicles.

Implications

EconomicImplications–AIisexpectedtocontribute

over$15.7trilliontotheglobaleconomyby2030,andhas

alreadyenhancedbusinessanalyticsefficienciesanddrivenscientific,mathematical,andengineeringdiscoveries.Recentbreakthroughsincludelargelanguagemodels(LLMs)and

advancedtext-to-imagemodelsgeneratinghighlyrealistic

images.InsufficientnumbersofAIprofessionalsinmany

countries,however,couldhindersomenationsincompetitiveglobalmarkets.

MilitaryImplications–AIisalreadybeingusedtopower

advancedcyber-attacks,electronicwarfare,anddigital

disinformation,andprovidecommanderswithimproved

intelligenceanalysis.Eventually,AImayallowasingleoperatortocontrolswarmsofuncrewedvehiclesforintelligence,

surveillanceandreconnaissance(ISR),andcombatmissions.Sophisticatedreal-timeautomateddataanalysisfromsensorinputswillprovidecriticaldecisionsupportandenhanced

actionableintelligence,targetdetectionandrecognition.

Additionally,AIwillimprovetrainingcapabilitiesthroughvirtualandaugmentedreality(VR/AR),andhighlyrealisticmodellingandscenarioplanning.

SocietalImplications–UnregulatedgenerativeAIcould

majorlypropagatedisinformation.Believable‘deepfake’videosofpublicfiguresandAI-supporteddisinformationcampaignsarealreadydisruptingthepoliticallandscape.AIisalsolikelytoimpactlabourmarketsandmakecertainrolesthatentail

routine,repetitivetasks(includingmanualmanufacturing,dataentry,customerserviceandbasicadministrativesupport)

redundant.CurrentAImodelshaveraisedethicalconcernsaroundbiaseddatainputs,lackoftransparencyonhow

outputsarecreated,andtheuseofLLMsbymalignactorsintendingtocauseharm.TrustinAIiscrucialforwidespreadadoptionand,assuch,thetechnologyneedstobereliable,safeandtransparent.‘Explainability’,ortheabilityofAIto

provideunderstandablereasonsfordecisions,aswellastrainingandeducation,willbekeyforbuildingtrust.

KeyTechnologyAreas

DeepLearningandNeuralNetworks–Asubsetof

machinelearning,thesenetworksemulatebrains’

computationalprocesses.Theyarehighlyadaptable,havebroadapplicability,andarecapableofcontinuouslearning.

ResearchiscurrentlyfocusedonenhancingAIsystems’

agilityandresilience.Oneapproachistoincreasedata

volumethroughfederatedlearning(orcollaborativelearning)totrainfuturecomputermodelsonde-centraliseddatasets,whileanotheristostreamlinecumbersomedatalabellingfortrainingpurposes.Additionally,thereareeffortstointegrateabaselinelevelof“machinecommonsense”formoreeffective,robust,andagilesystemswithhuman-likereasoning.

Applications–AIwillhaveanextremelybroadrangeofapplications,integratingandadvancingmanysystems,processesanddefencecapabilities.Thiswillenablenew

scientificmethods,drivingscientificdiscovery.Human-

machineteaming,aneffectivepsycho-social-technical

collaborativesystem,iscrucialforfutureAIapplications,forwhichreproducibilityandtrustwillrequireresearch.

Counter-AI–Detecting,deflecting,andlimitingattacksontheAlliance’sAIsystemsanddefendingagainstadversarialAIarebecomingincreasinglynecessary.Forexample,

AI-on-AIengagementsaregraduallyemerging,driving

disinformation.Furthermore,potentialforcriminalusesofAIisunderappreciated.WhileAIcurrentlyexcelsunderspecificconditions,itcanfailwithslightdeviationsfromexpected

parameters.Assessingreliabilityisdifficult,yetvitalfor

enhancingresilientandvalidatedAItocounteradversarial

AI.DeceptionofAIwillhencebecomeasignificantaspectoffuturewarfare.

TechnologyConvergence

RoboticsandAutonomousSystems–Data,Autonomy,andAIareexpectedtosignificantlydisruptmilitarycapabilities

overthenextdecade.Theproliferationofubiquitous,

intelligentandinterconnectedsensorswillfacilitateAI-

assisteddecision-makingincyberspaceandphysical

domains.Physically,thesewillincludeautonomousaerial,

navalandgroundvehicles,andswarms.VR,autonomyandAIwillfacilitatesurveillance,cyberdefence,electronicwarfareandsignalsintelligence,collectingdataautonomouslyand

implementingcountermeasures.

Biotechnology,MaterialsandEnergy–AIwillcontributetothedesign,developmentandmanufacturingofnovelmaterialswithuniqueproperties,andalsothedirect

manipulationofbothbiologicalandchemicalreactions.

Thiswillleadtonumerousdual-useapplicationsthatareofinteresttoNATO,rangingfrombiotechnologiesand

3D/4D(bio)printing,energystorage,powergenerationandpropulsionsystems.

science&Technologyorganization(STO)

Roboticsand

Autonomous

2/9

Briefingpaper

Systems

Autonomoussystemsareanintegralpartoftoday’s

conflicts,beingusedforoperationsincludingintelligencegatheringandoffensivestrike.Asenablingtechnologiesevolveandmilitaryoperationsbecomemorecomplex,

theoptionsforuseofsemi-andfullyautonomous

platformswillalsoincrease.Muchoftheautonomoussystemsresearchandinnovationisbeingdrivenbythecommercialsectorandisthereforedual-use.

Implications

EconomicImplications–Increasedautomationwillprompt

economictransformationinmanysectors.Intransport,

autonomousvehiclescoulddrasticallyreducelabourcosts,

increaseefficiency,transformlogistics,anddeteraccidents.Inmanufacturing,productionspeedscouldimprove,anderrorsandoperationalcostscoulddecrease.Inagriculture,seed-

plantingrobotsandautonomousfarmingequipmentpromisehighercropyieldswithreducedlabourandenvironmental

impact.Theseadvancementsmaycauseeconomicdisruption,particularlyinthelabourmarket.Manyjobscouldbedisplaced,necessitatingsignificantworkforceretraining.

MilitaryImplications–Growthinroboticsandautonomoussystems(RAS)usehasbeenconcentratedintheair

domain,butthelandandmaritimedomains’useinlogistics,sustainment,andmanufacturingaregrowingincreasinglyimportant.Intelligentautonomoussystemswillenablenovelcapabilities,includinglong-durationunder-wateroperations

oroperationsinextremeorGNSS(GlobalNavigationSatelliteSystem)-deniedenvironments.Autonomoussystemscould

alsoincreasetheimpactofcyber-attackswhileofferingnewwaystodefendagainstthem.However,inthenear-term,

semi–autonomous,ratherthanfullyautonomous,systemswillbeofgreaterinteresttoNATO.

SocietalImplications–Howsocietiesbalancetechnologicalinnovationwithsocialandemploymentneedswilldeterminethebenefitsofautonomoussystems.Trust,reliability,safetyandtransparencyarecrucialforwidespreadadoption.

‘Explainability’(systems’abilitytoprovideunderstandable

reasonsfortheirdecisions),aswellastrainingandeducation,willbekeytobuildingtrust.Clearregulations,ethical

guidelinesandsecuritymeasuresarerequiredtoaddress

concernsaboutautonomyandaccountability.However,semi-autonomoussystemswillcontinuetodeveloplongbefore

safefullautonomyisrealised.

KeyTechnologyAreas

Counter-RAS–Researchoncombattinguncrewedthreats

throughkineticanddirectednon-kineticeffectorsisgrowing.

Rapiddetection,classificationandtrackingrequireadvancedsensorsandsoftwaretoenablecost-effectiveRAS-on-RAS

engagements,asvehiclesmaybetoofastfordirecthuman

control.Inparticular,researchisadvancinginAI-enabled

swarm-on-swarmengagement,advanceddetectionsensors

andelectromagneticcounter-RAScapabilities.High-poweredradio-frequency-directedenergyweaponsareapromisingareaofnon-kineticcounter-RAS.

LevelsofAutonomy–Despitetheiradaptabilityandadvanceddecision-makingcapabilities,autonomoussystemswilllikely

involvehumansinasupervisoryrole,whilereducingthe

needforhumanbrainpower.Forexample,the‘warfighteras

asystem’conceptforeseeshuman-machinesystemsthatalloweverysoldiertoactasasquad.Inthecyberdomain,autonomoussoftwareagentswillincreasinglyundertakeoffensive/defensiveoperations.Notably,NATOAllieshavecommittedtoethicaluseduringmilitaryoperations.

Human-RASTeaming–Researchexploringtheinteraction

betweenhumansandmachinesinfuturesemi-andfully

autonomoussystemsisplentiful.Thisresearchrecognises

thathumanscannotfullysynthesiseandactonthevolumeofinformationpresented,norcontroltheautonomouscollectionofdata.Therefore,moreeffectiveinteractionbetweenAI,RASandhumanswillenhanceoperations.Itisimportanttoconsidertheneedforhumancontrol,andAI’sabilitytoassessthe

trustworthinessofahumanoperator’sinput.

TechnologyConvergence

Biomimetics,EnergyandPropulsion–Natureinspires

functionalandbehaviouralaspectsofrobotics.Examples

includethemimicryofanimalswarming,orofinsectneurons

(whichcouldenablereal-timespatialtrackingofmultiple

movingobjects).Reducedenergyrequirementsfacilitatelow-powercontrolsystems,improvingsize,weight,powerandcostanddrasticallyreducingthetrade-offsbetweenthesefactors.

ArtificialIntelligenceandQuantum–AIwillbeincreasinglyembeddedinwarfareplatforms,systemsandweapons

acrossland,sea,air,spaceandcyberdomains.AI-enabledsystemscanprocessvastdatainrealtime,improving

awarenessandresponsetimes.Machinelearningenablessystemstolearnfromexperienceandadapttosituations.Inautonomoussystems,AIimprovescoordination

betweenunits,enablingswarmingbehaviourandcomplexcollaborativemissions.Advancesinquantumcomputingandquantumsensorsenhancethesecureprocessing

speedofAIandassociatedsensors,facilitatingimprovedautonomoussystems.

science&Technologyorganization(STO)

QuantumBriefingpaper3/9

Quantumtechnologytakesadvantageofphenomenaatsub-atomicscales.Overthenext20years,this

technologywillprovidesignificantadvancesin

cryptography,computation,precisionnavigationandtiming(PNT),sensingandimaging,communications,andmaterials.Quantumisamongstthemostnascentofemerginganddisruptivetechnologies(EDTs),withwideinvestmentsinapplicationsandresearchbeingallocatedinthistechnology.

Implications

EconomicImplications–Unprecedentedadvancesin

quantumtechnologiesarepredictedtosignificantlyimpactallkeyeconomicsectorsinthenextdecade.Specifically,

significantfocuswillbeplacedonacceleratingcomputer

processingcapabilities.Forthisreason,thereiscurrentlyaglobaleconomicrace,withvariouscountriesvyingtobethefirsttodesign,createanddeploythistechnology.

MilitaryImplications–Emergingquantumsensorscan

provideextremelyaccuratePNTcapabilities,especiallyinareaswhereGlobalNavigationSatelliteSystem(GNSS)

isdenied.There’spotentialforgravimetric(ormagnetic)

sensorstoreliablydetectsubmarinesandsubsequently

maketheoceanmore‘transparent’,whilenewradars

couldmakealliedstealthcapabilitiesineffective.Quantumcommunicationsandcryptographycancreateultra-securenetworks(forexample,withintrusiondetectionandlow

probabilityofintercept),butquantumcomputingalsoposeschallengesforprotectingourownsensitivecommunicationfromadversaries.AssistedbyAI,quantummodellingand

simulationwillhavethecapacitytoaidcomplexdecision-making,improvetargetidentification,andfine-tunethe

accuracyofweaponssystems.

SocietalImplications–Quantumsensingcanenable

accurate,real-timemonitoringofbiologicalprocesses,

accelerateddrugdiscovery,medicalimaging,anddiseasedetection.Advancesinquantumcommunicationsare

consideredtobeessentialfordevelopingeffective6G

technologies.Quantumcomputingcouldalsosupportthedevelopmentofnewsustainable,environmentallyfriendlymaterials,thushelpingtoreduceandoffsetemissionsbyimprovingenergystorageanddrivingmorecarbon-neutralmethodsofenergyproduction.

KeyTechnologyAreas

Computing–Quantumcomputersharnessthepowerof

superpositionsandentanglementatthesub-atomiclevel,andcouldthereforeexploituntappedpotentialforexponential

growthincomputingpower.Assuch,quantumprocessorsarelikelytobecomeakeypartofthenextgenerationofsupercomputersystems.

Communications–Quantumtechnologiesthatexploit

entanglement(akeyprincipleofquantummechanics),suchasquantumkeydistribution(QKD)andquantumrandomnumbergenerators(QRNG),aredevelopingatanunprecedentedly

rapidrate.Itisalsonotablethat,whilenext-generationpost-

quantumencryptiontechniquesalreadyexistandarelikelytoenhanceratherthanreplaceexistingsecurecommunicationsnetworks,theystillrequireverificationandstandardisation.

Sensors–Quantumsensorsarethemostdeveloped

ofthethreekeyquantumtechnologies,andmaygreatly

exceedthecapabilitiesoftheirclassicalcounterpartsin

measuringmagnetic,electric,andgravitationalfieldswithsubstantiallyincreasedprecision.Thesetypesofsensorsincludetechnologiessuchasatomicclocks,gravimeters,accelerometers,magnetometers,opticalsensorsandGHz-THzradiationdetectors.

TechnologyConvergence

AI,Electronics,Energy,Materials,SpaceandHypersonics

–Quantumtechnologiesconvergewithalargenumber

ofotherEDTs.Inparticular,quantumcomputingwillhaveastrongimpactontrainingforroboticsandautonomoussystems,significantlyoptimizingtheseprocesses.ItcanadditionallyenhanceAI-enabledsoftware,andfacilitate

bettermodellingandsimulationforadditiveandadvanced

manufacturing.Thisinturnwouldsupportthedevelopment

andtestingofAI,hypersonics,energysystems,materials,

electronicsystemsandbiotechnologies.Quantum

communicationandsensingwillalsohaveasignificantimpactonspacetechnologies,withimprovedaccuracy,securityandsensitivityandanincreaseduseofpassivesensors.

science&Technologyorganization(STO)

Space

TechnologiesBriefingpaper4/9

Theeconomicsofspacehavechangedsignificantlyover

thepastdecade.Drivenbyincreasedcommercialinterests,

launchcostshavebeendrasticallyreducedbyimprovements

inreusability,efficienciesandminiaturisation.Consequently,

increasinglypowerful,muchsmallerandmorenumerous

satellitesarepresentingconsiderableopportunitiesin

communications,scientificexplorationanddefencecapabilities(e.g.space-basedintelligence,surveillanceandreconnaissance).

Equally,legal,politicalandmilitarychallengesarebeingcreated.

Implications

EconomicImplications–Spacecapabilitiesare

predominantlydrivenbythecommercialsector,whilenew

technologiesandproductionmethodshaveoptimisedthe

availabilityandcostofaccessingspace.Space-deriveddataandconnectivityisthemaindriverofcommercialspaceuse.Thenumberofactiveobjectsinorbithasmorethantripledsince2020,andtheglobalspaceindustryisexpectedto

growconsiderablyby2040.

MilitaryImplications–Increasingmilitaryrelianceonspace

technologiesrequiresnationstoprotecttheircriticalspace-

basedassets.Spaceisakeyenablerofmilitaryoperations,

primarilyforGlobalNavigationSatelliteSystems(GNSS),ISR

andcommunications.Increasingsensorresolutionwillfurtheremphasisespaceasanoperationaldomain.GNSSjamminghasbeenextensivelyusedandseveralAnti-satellite(ASAT)weapontestshaveraisedconcernsofafuturespacearmsrace.

SocietalImplications–Withincreasingcivilianusageand

theprospectofapotentialspacearmsrace,thegovernanceofspaceisapressingconcern.Amorecontestedand

congestedspaceenvironmentmayleadtoconflictsbetweendifferentcommercialandgovernmental/militaryactors,

aswellasconflictsofinterestovertheuseofindividual

spaceassetsfordifferentpurposes.Civiliantrendswillalsolikelyleadtoincreasedaccessibilityofhumanspaceflight,planetaryexplorationandgreateravailabilityofspace-

basedsurveillance.Increasingspacedebris(fromcollisionsorASATs)isalsoexpectedtocauseachainreactionin

whichtheamountofspacedebrisexponentiallyincreasestothepointofbeingunstoppable.Thisreactionislikelytonotonlycausecatastrophicservicedisruptions,butitcouldalsorenderaffectedorbitsunusable(hencemakingrepairsextremelydifficultifnotimpossible).

KeyTechnologyAreas

CommunicationsandSensors–Satellitesinlow

geostationaryorbitsareusedforcommunications,commandandcontrol,navigationandISR,andareacriticalasset

insupportofmilitaryoperations.Thedevelopmentof

miniaturised,light-weight,low-power,wide-bandsensorsforcommunicationsandremotesensingwillimproveoperationaleffectiveness.Astheradiofrequencyspectrumbecomes

morecongested,next-generationspacecommunicationsandsensors,suchaslasercommunicationsrelaysandsyntheticapertureradars,willgreatlyenhancespace-basedsituationalawarenessandcommunicationcapabilities.

PlatformsandPropulsion–Somewherebetween18,000and26,000smallsatellitesareexpectedtobelaunchedinthe

nextdecade,increasingbothspacecongestionandtheriskofcollisions.Overall,thesedevelopmentswilldrivedemand

forIn-OrbitServicingplatformsandmoresophisticatedspace

trafficmanagementsystems.Meanwhile,in-orbitassembly

combinedwithimprovedrapid,reusablelaunchsystemsandpropulsiontechnologiescouldreducecostsandincreasethenumberofspacelaunches.

CounterSpace–Asincreasingcivilianandmilitaryapplicationsharnessspace-basedassets,therisksfromASATsystemswillincreaseAllies’vulnerability.

Developmentsin“inspector”satellites,dazzlers,directed

energyweapons,cyber-attacks,andjammingincreasethe

needtohardenspace-basedinfrastructureacrossthecyber,electromagnetic,andphysicalspectrums.Theseissueswill

becriticalasspacecontinuestobecomemorecontested,

congestedandmilitarised.Developmentssuchasultra-securequantumkeydistribution,andphysicalandelectromagnetic

defensivecapabilitieswillbeneededtoenhanceresilienceofspaceassets.

TechnologyConvergence

Energy,Propulsion,MaterialsandHypersonics–Significantimprovementsareexpectedinpropulsiontechnologies

fromchemical(lowefficiency,highthrust)toelectric(high

efficiency,lowthrust),andindevelopmentofnuclearthermalpropulsion.Cheaperandmorerapidly(re)usablelaunchers

areexpectedtobenefithypersonicsystems–aswouldexoticmaterials,energystorage,miniaturisation,noveldesignsandmanufacturingmethodsforspaceassets.

ArtificialIntelligence,AutonomyandQuantum–IncreasedautonomyandembeddedAIcanimprovespacedata

collectionandmanagement,onboardprocessing,andinter-satellitecoordination.Currently,powerlimitationsandsensorsensitivityseverelyrestrictsatellitedesignandoperation.

Space-basedquantumsensors,dataprocessingcapabilitiesandquantumcommunicationwillfurtherenhancespace-

basedassets.Additionally,activelycollaboratingsatellites(suchasconstellationsandswarms)willincrease

operationaleffectiveness.

science&Technologyorganization(STO)

HypersonicsBriefingpaper5/9

Hypersonicsystemsaredefinedbytheirability

totravelatspeedsgreaterthan1715metresper

second(orfivetimesthespeedofsound/Mach5).Therapiddevelopmentofhypersonicsystems一inconjunctionwiththeinabilityoflegacysystemstodefendagainstfuturehypersonicthreats一drawsattentiontoarangeofconsiderabledeterrence

anddefenceissues.

Implications

EconomicImplicationsThemostimmediateimpactof

advancesinhypersonicswillbefeltinthedefenceindustryand,forthetimebeing,lesssoonciviliantransportation

applications.Duetotheveryhighup-frontinvestments

required,thenumberofcommercialactorsislimited,and

progressisprimarilydrivenbygovernmentinvestments

motivatedbysecurityneeds.Nevertheless,significant

investmentsarebeingmade,withpossiblesecondary

economicapplicationsinthetransportandlogisticssectorslikelytotakeoffinthemediumtolongterm.

MilitaryImplicationsHypersoniccapabilitieswould

makesomeweaponsdesignslesscomplexbyharnessing

thepowerofkineticimpactenergyratherthanexplosive

warheads.Furthermore,hypersonicspeedsreduceearly-

warningandresponsetimesfurther,astheirnon-ballistic

trajectoryposesfurtherchallengestodetectionandeffectivedefence,sincehypersonicsspendlesstimeingeneralabovetheatmosphere.

SocietalImplicationsThesocialimplicationsofhypersonicsystemsarelimited.However,giventhesubstantive

investmentsneededforacountrytosuccessfullydesign,

developanddeploythesesystems,theymayleadtosecond-ordereffectsongovernmentspending,andsubsequently

causeimpactsoneconomicandsocialsecurityframeworks.

KeyTechnologyAreas

VehiclesandPropulsionHypersonicvehiclesencompassarangeoftechnologiesincludingaircrafts,missiles,

projectilesorspacecrafts.Theyaredividedintofourmaintypesofsystem:

Boostglidevehicles,whicharelaunchedbyrocketbut

thenmanoeuvredintheatmosphereataltitudesof40-

100km,havemaderemarkableprogressandresearchiscurrentlyfocusingonreducingthecostofthistechnology.

Hypersoniccruisemissiles(HCM)aretypicallyair-launchedandpoweredbyscramjets(supersoniccombusting

ramjets)thatneedtoreachMach3or4tobecome

operational.Thesemissilesflyataltitudesof20-30km.

Railgunsaresystemsthatuseanelectromagneticfieldtoaccelerateprojectilesathypersonicspeeds.They

areintendedtoengagetime-criticaltargetsoverlonger

ranges,augmentsurface-to-aircapabilitiesagainstveryfast-movingtargets,andinterceptballisticmissiles.Theyhaveamajoradvantageintheirrelativeaffordability,andhavenorelianceonchemicalenergysources.

Hypersonicaircrafthaveshownencouragingresults,withdual-moderamjetsystemspotentiallyenablingtransformationalaircraftandRAScapabilities.

Counter-HypersonicSystemsThespeed,manoeuvrabilityandtrajectoryofhypersonicsystems,coupledwiththe

possibilityoflargeswarmsofhypersoniceffectors,pose

noteworthychallengestodefensiveefforts.Countermeasuresincludebothsoft-killapproachessuchasjammingordecoys,andhard-killones,suchasdirectedenergyweaponsor

physicalinterceptors.Thesesystemswillneedtoberefinedandoperationalisedtomaintainthecurrentdeterrent

frameworkinafutureeraofstrategichypersoniccapabilities.

TechnologyConvergence

Space,QuantumandArtificialIntelligenceCounteringhypersonicthreatswillrequireanadvancedspace-basedsensornetworkfordetection,identificationandtrackingofsuchthreats,which,withthesupportofterrestrialsensors,canthenprovidenavigationandcontrolforsuccessful

interception.SuchsensorsandcontrolfunctionswillbefurtherenhancedbyquantumtechnologiesandAIapplications,therebyenablingshorterresponsetimes.

PropulsionandMaterialsThespeedofhypersonicvehiclescancausetheirsurfacetemperaturestoexceed1000°C.

Asaresult,thedevelopmentofmechanicallystrongand

heat-tolerantmaterialsisnecessaryfortheimplementationofthesevehicles.Therearepromisingresearchactivities

beingconductedforthesematerials,consideringbothnovelmaterialsandadvancedmanufacturing.Advancesinthe

underlyingpropulsiontechnologies,suchassupersonic

combustionramjets(scramjets)ordual-modeenginesthatcanswitchfromfuel-efficientturbineoperationtoramjetmode,willsupporttransformationalchangesforcivilandmilitaryapplications.

science&Technologyorganization(STO)

Biotechnology

&Human

6/9

Briefingpaper

Enhancements

Biotechnologiesusebiologicalprocesses,genetics,cellsorcellularcompoundstodevelopnewproducts.

Thesecanbeappliedformedicalinterventions,novel

materialsandmanufacturingprocesses,andhuman

enhancements(throughbiomimetics).Potential

applicationsincludetheintegrationofroboticsorneuralinterfaceswithArtificialIntelligence(AI)intohumans.

Whiledevelopmentisstillearly,thistechnologycould

promptanotherrevolutionsimilartotheinformationage.

Implications

EconomicImplications–Syntheticbiologyand

biotechnologyadvancesbringeconomicimplications

andpotentialdisruptions.Agriculturally,developments

mayincreasefoodyieldsandcropresilience,andreduceenvironmentalimpacts.Forhealthcare,personalised

treatmentsandmedications,newdiagnosticsand

regenerativemethodsmaybecomeubiquitous,whilethe

productionofbiologicalproducts(hormones,enzymes,

antibodies,vaccines)couldbecomecheaper.Novelbio-

manufacturedmaterialsandchemicalsprovidealternative,environmentally-friendlyroutestosynthesiseenergetics,propellants,andplasticisers.

MilitaryImplications–Militaryuseofbiotechnologiesappliestohumanenhancementsacrosscognitive,physicalandsocialperformancebenchmarks,andsynthetic-biologymilitary

products(e.g.smarttextiles,livingsensorsorpowersystems).Newmaterialswithadvancedpropertiescouldfacilitatemore

lightweightanddurablearmourorbetterchemical,biological,radiological,andnuclear(CBRN)defences.Advancesin

traumamedicine,psychologicaltreatmentsandregenerativemedicineareparticularlyimportantforsustainingsoldiers’

capabilities.Syntheticandphysiologicalenhancementscouldrevolutionisefuturesoldiering.

SocietalImplications–Biotechnologyapplicationsare

drivingsociety-widebenefits.Biofuelsareapromising

sourceofenergy,environmentalsensorsm