Ginkgo and OpenAI reported autonomous biology experiments at scale

Ginkgo Bioworks connected GPT-5 to its cloud laboratory in February 2026, running 36,000 experimental conditions across six iterative cycles in which the AI designed, executed and learned from physical biological experiments. The closed-loop setup points to AI moving from analysis toward autonomous empirical research, with labs where models iteratively plan and run wet-lab experiments under limited human direction.

The article reports that in February 2026, Ginkgo Bioworks connected GPT-5 to its cloud laboratory, running 36,000 experimental conditions across six iterative cycles where the AI designed, executed, and learned from physical biological experiments. Closed-loop biological experimentation at this scale would indicate AI moving from analysis to autonomous empirical research. Suggests future labs where AI iteratively plans and runs wet-lab experiments with limited human direction. Source: miguelguerrero.eu https://miguelguerrero.eu/article-ai-for-science.html AI disclosure: this article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.