BELGRADE, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Global scientists, innovators, and investors gathered here on Monday for the AI_4_LIFE: Biotech Future Forum, an event co-organized by the Serbian government, the World Economic Forum, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming biotechnology, medicine, and sustainability.
The conference hosts over 40 speakers from more than a dozen countries across four continents, including Nobel laureate Robert Huber, genomic pioneer J. Craig Venter, and representatives of global tech and biotech companies, alongside Serbian experts.
Opening the event, Serbian Prime Minister Djuro Macut said the country is positioning itself as a regional technology hub. "Biotechnology and artificial intelligence are two key pillars of the future, empowering us to face challenges in medicine, agriculture, and energy," he said.
Science Minister Bela Balint called the gathering "a place where science, technology, and a vision of the future meet," adding that Serbia has been actively participating in scientific progress through partnerships with leading international institutions and the development of the BIO4 Campus, a national hub for biotechnology research.
Organizers describe AI_4_LIFE as Serbia's national initiative to connect science, business, and government in the development of real-world biotech and AI applications. According to some speakers, Serbia's local initiatives have linked with the global biotech ecosystem through new infrastructure, legal frameworks, and AI integration in startups.
Held under the theme "Modeling the Future of Health, Innovation and Society," the forum highlights how AI can improve drug discovery, clinical trials, and personalized medicine. Its panels and sessions focus on health, innovation, and AI's impact on daily life, such as AI-assisted diagnostics, virtual replicas of the human body powered by AI, and data-driven biotech investment.
A companion conference titled "Engineered Models of Human Disease" will follow up on Tuesday and Wednesday, hosted by the Nature science journals in partnership with BIO4 Campus, Serbia's flagship biotechnology complex, and the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation. The event will explore how engineered biological systems and advanced modeling can accelerate breakthroughs in disease research, precision medicine, and health technology. ■
