Chemistry research is grounded on iterative cycles in which experiments are designed, executed and then refined to achieve a particular goal. The experience and intuition of researchers has a crucial role in working out the initial design, and in the subsequent optimization process — something that could not previously have been replicated in autonomous systems that carry out chemistry research. Writing in Nature, Boiko et al.1 report an artificial intelligence (AI) agent named Coscientist that can plan and orchestrate multiple tasks in the chemistry-research cycle without detailed human input, bringing the vision of self-driving laboratories a step closer to reality.
Competing Interests
T.R. is a consultant to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and tech industries, and also a full member of the Acceleration Consortium, University of Toronto.
