UBC Think Tank
Rethinking Research Infrastructure in the GPT & Cloud Era

Bioinformatics research increasingly relies on commercial digital infrastructure. From large-scale cloud platforms to AI-driven tools such as ChatGPT, these technologies are now integral to everyday workflows. While they enable scalability and innovation, they also raise important questions around privacy (e.g. unintended use of data for training), security, reproducibility, long-term accessibility (e.g. changes in access to key services), and alignment with Open Science.

This interactive session invites the bioinformatics community and beyond, including PhD students, research software developers, policy-makers and Open Science enthusiasts of all levels, to reflect on these questions together. 

We will examine current levels of dependence on a limited set of providers and discuss how to balance technological benefits with the need for resilient and responsible research infrastructure. In the context of the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), we will explore how infrastructure choices can support sustainable, transparent, and reproducible research.