How AI could make research labs autonomous

An autonomous laboratory, made up of robotic equipment directed by a simple artificial intelligence model, has succeeded in reengineering enzymes without any human intervention. — AFP Relaxnews

Artificial intelligence is taking over the world of science. Researchers in the US recently conducted an experiment with the help of a fully autonomous laboratory, piloted by an artificial intelligence model and robotic equipment. In addition to speeding up the scientific process, this new approach could lead to solutions that humans might not have considered on their own.

An article in Nature details this fully automated laboratory experiment. It recounts how researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison used a machine-learning model to propose a whole host of protein sequence modifications, all of which could then be tested. In the end, this process created enzymes capable of operating at temperatures at least 12°C higher than those at the outset.