Anthropic confirms it runs a wet lab for biology experiments

Anthropic has confirmed to TechCrunch that it operates a wet biology lab in the Bay Area, where its AI models are used to conduct physical experiments. The disclosure comes as AI leaders continue promising that artificial intelligence will help cure human disease — CEO Dario Amodei recently said he believes AI could cure most major diseases within the next 5 to 10 years.

Eric Kauderer-Abrams, Anthropic's head of life sciences, told Reuters that testing biology theories still ultimately requires real lab work, and that the company is already doing this today. He said the lab functions like most biotech labs, with Anthropic conducting some research itself while collaborating with external partners. The company declined to share specifics about ongoing projects but said the lab's main focus is fundamental biology rather than drug discovery.

Avoiding the appearance of competing with pharma

Anthropic is reportedly keen to avoid appearing to compete with pharmaceutical companies, many of which are its customers and partners — the company recently announced a joint drug-discovery deal with Novo Nordisk. Anthropic has previously faced backlash over products seen as competing with its own customers. This week it also launched a Life Sciences Verification Program, giving vetted biology researchers access to its most powerful models, and has published reports on research supporting drug discovery, including work on protein design and biomolecular modeling.

The news arrives amid heightened concern within Anthropic itself over AI risk. Researcher Jacob Coxon recently resigned, warning that those building AI genuinely believe it could pose an existential threat to humanity by the end of the decade. Amodei has repeatedly called bioterrorism one of AI's most significant dangers and recently urged the industry to slow down and adopt self-regulation. The contrast between these warnings and the existence of the wet lab has drawn notice across the tech industry.