New open-source AI platform launched for global infectious disease surveillance
The Biothreats Emergence, Analysis and Communications Network (BEACON) integrates artificial intelligence with expert analysis to detect and contextualise emerging infectious threats worldwide.
The field of global health security has gained a significant new tool with the launch of BEACON, an open-source surveillance platform designed to monitor emerging infectious diseases across human, animal and environmental domains.
Advanced technology meets public health expertise
BEACON leverages artificial intelligence, specifically large language models (LLMs), to process and analyse outbreak reports in near real-time. The platform employs “PandemIQ Llama LLM”, a model specifically trained for outbreak analysis and report generation, according to Dr. Yannis Paschalidis, Hariri Institute Director and BEACON Co-Director.
“BEACON is the first biothreats reporting system to leverage the power of generative AI to process and analyze outbreak reports,” Paschalidis explained.
Global collaboration prioritised
The platform represents a collaborative effort between Boston University’s Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases, the Hariri Institute for Computing and Data Sciences, and HealthMap at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Dr. John Brownstein, Chief Innovation Officer at Boston Children’s Hospital and BEACON Co-Director, highlighted the significance of this partnership: “By integrating HealthMap’s decades-long experience in real-time epidemic monitoring with BEACON’s novel AI-driven architecture, we’re creating a uniquely powerful, open-source tool for rapid detection and contextualization of emerging threats.”
Addressing critical pandemic preparedness gaps
BEACON Director Dr. Nahid Bhadelia emphasised the platform’s timeliness: “BEACON comes at a time when we need more global collaboration and coordination when new biological threats appear. The platform not only reports new threats but also provides background and reasons for why a threat matters and where it should fall on our ranking of concern.”
The initiative has secured $6 million in funding from sources including the National Science Foundation, Gates Foundation, private donors, and Boston University. It has established partnerships with key public health entities such as the World Health Organization’s Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources initiative, the World Organisation for Animal Health, and the CDC Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics.
Free public access
Notably, BEACON will be freely accessible to the public, aligning with its stated value of global accessibility. The platform aims to serve public health authorities, practitioners, researchers, and the general public by sharing data and contextual information about emerging threats.
- The BEACON platform is now live and can be accessed at beaconbio.org
- For more information about BEACON, visit: https://www.bu.edu/articles/2025/open-source-ai-infectious-diseases-monitoring-tool
