Will AI replace biotechnologists?

Experts suggest that AI is more likely to be used as a tool within biotechnology than to replace professionals in the field. However, like in any industry, employers may rely on automation to replace entry-level roles. Still, CEOs in biotech have emphasized the importance of humans to verify work conducted by artificial intelligence.

What is the outlook for the biotech industry?

Entering 2025, experts project continued growth in biotech. However, stock market instability and sudden staff reductions in U.S. health agencies at the direction of the Trump administration has caused uncertainty for the future of the industry.

Why are people against biotechnology?

Some people may have ethical concerns with biotech. They may argue that, by editing human genetic material, we are "playing God." Other potential issues are unforeseen consequences of manipulating DNA. For example, while bioengineered golden rice may have additional vitamins not found in non-engineered rice, some argue that manipulating its biology could lead to reduced biodiversity in plant life.

What is the future of the biotech industry?

The future appears bright, thanks to growing biotech industry trends like AI, RNA technologies, and genetic data storage. However, unstable markets and reductions in U.S. government staffing may slow growth in the sector.

Biotechnology industry trends

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By: Matt Whittle, Edited by: Rebecca Munday

Published: June 9, 2025

Although biotechnology research began in the late 1800s, the field continues to rapidly evolve, with certain subsets gaining popularity in recent years.

Explore biotech industry trends, including details on emerging advancements in human and plant biology and their potential benefits and drawbacks.

Emerging trends in biotechnology

Male chemist holding a pipette and test tube in a laboratory. He is wearing a lab coat gloves and personal protective mask.

Independent research

Public sector research in biotechnology is poised to see a decline as the U.S. government continues to cut agencies and reduce the workforce. Independent research may help to fill this gap.

Private companies have significantly grown in the biotech space in recent years, though these organizations may rely on public funding to launch or support research and development.

Personalized medicine

Physicians tailor their care to each patient, but this new biotech industry trend takes these efforts to the genetic level. Personalized medicine observes people's genetic makeup to deliver individualized treatments, thereby improving effectiveness and reducing negative side effects.

Healthcare teams have used radiation therapy and chemotherapy as a traditional treatment for cancer. A personalized medicine approach looks for specific anomalies in genetic material to provide less harmful therapies that target only the genetic mutation.

As a population, if we shift toward individualized treatments, we may see long-lasting positive effects. The National Human Genome Research Institute, a government agency within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), wrote that personalized medicine might be the "biggest revolution in medicine in a very long time."

Unfortunately, these efforts are currently under attack as the Trump administration makes significant staff reductions to the NIH and similar agencies. Without public investment, personalized medicine will struggle to evolve and keep pace with human needs.

Reduced environmental impact

We can help mitigate the effects of climate change thanks to biotechnology. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that crop production decreases, pestilence increases, wildfires thrive, and livestock experience increased stress amid rising global temperatures.

Biotechnology can help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by using bioengineered "cover crops" that reduce soil erosion and create alternative biofuels.

Biotechnology has also created vegetables and fruits that remain fresher for longer to reduce food waste. Though these crops are grown in controlled environments, if they were to cross-pollinate with undesirable plants like weeds, the outcome could result in more resistant weeds.

Like the NIH, the USDA has undergone significant staffing cuts during the Trump administration's second term. A reduced workforce may result in fewer advances in biotechnology and worsened climate change, putting this biotech industry trend in a precarious position going forward.

Increased consumer support

Consumers often remain split on their support of biotech industry trends, especially relating to food. However, a recent study by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Arkansas Tech University, and FLAME University interviewed more than 1,600 individuals and found that consumer acceptance of gene-edited products has increased, citing environmental and health benefits as primary drivers.Diet and health go hand in hand, after all. Another survey by the National Library of Medicine considered consumer acceptance of bioengineered foods with reduced gluten for patients with Celiac disease. 67% of participants would taste gluten-free foods that were bioengineered, with 57% reporting they would pay more than market price for the product.

Though the study concluded that the scientific community needs to improve its communication efforts on bioengineered foods, it also reported a steep increase in consumer acceptance versus data from 20 years ago.

Pros and cons of emerging biotechnology trends

Pros

Pharmaceutical advances: Biotech can harness AI and machine learning to discover new medicines and personalize treatments. AI can help scientists quickly and efficiently collect and analyze vast patient datasets to glean small- and large-scale insights.
Reduced negative health conditions: Gene editing has emerged as a biotech industry trend that allows us to remove or edit genes that can lead to conditions like Alzheimer's, heart disease, and chronic pain.
Increased and healthier crop production: By editing agricultural DNA, humans have created crops that contain additional vitamins or grow in previously uninhabitable conditions. Hunger continues to threaten humanity, and biotech can help us tackle it.

Cons

Ethical concerns: Many biotech industry trends have ethical hang-ups regarding the sector's efforts. Many believe that we should not seek to alter the genetic material of living things and claim that doing so is "playing God."
Reduced biodiversity: We have yet to see the long-term effects of genetic modification. Though some crops may benefit from resistance to herbicides, pests, or less-than-ideal growing conditions, genetically modified plants may pass these traits to undesirable plants or make it more difficult for non-genetically modified plants to grow.
Overproduction: Genetically modified crops may result in overproduction, thereby disrupting markets dependent upon imports and exports. Though abundance could drive costs down, the wide-scale economic effects may be negative.