Invasive alien plants (IAPs) pose serious threats to ecological integrity and agricultural production. Seed vigor is a key determinant of invasion success. Conventional seed vigor assays (e.g., tetrazolium test and standard germination test) are often destructive and time-consuming, demonstrating limited effects for rapid screening and risk assessment of IAPs. In recent years, the integration of non-destructive detection technologies (NDTs) with artificial intelligence enables efficient, non-invasive seed vigor evaluation. This offers novel approaches for early warning and precision control. This review systematically examines the principles, applications, and progress of both conventional and NDT-based seed vigor assessment methods, critically comparing their strengths and limitations. Future directions are discussed, including multimodal technology fusion, device miniaturization, and molecular mechanisms governing seed vigor, particularly the formation of low-and non-viable seeds. This review provides a theoretical and technical foundation for dynamically monitoring the seed vigor of IAPs, assessing the risk of IAPs based on distinct seed vigor states (high-, low-, and non-viable), and developing source-control strategies based on vigor disruption (especially inducing non-viable seed formation). These advancements are crucial for enhancing the prevention and management of biosafety risks.