Anthropic has established a biology research lab in the San Francisco Bay Area to conduct physical experiments, according to Reuters. Eric Kauderer-Abrams, the company's Head of Life Sciences, confirmed the lab's existence, stating that "to do biology, the final test is still and will be for a while in real lab work". The company launched a drug discovery program called Claude Science in June, focusing on research that pharma companies avoid due to low financial returns.

Kauderer-Abrams clarified that while AI could fast-track treatment discovery for previously difficult conditions, the company is in the "very early innings" of using AI to automate lab work, with human oversight remaining essential for safety. Sources told Reuters that Anthropic is exploring making Claude control robots to carry out scientific experiments, though no clinical trials have been run yet.

The lab wasn't created specifically for drug discovery, a spokesperson told Reuters. However, the company faces a trust problem from the public, having recently flagged and stopped multiple scientists using its AI models to create potential biological weapons. CEO Dario Amodei has called for a slowdown on advanced AI development to reduce risks.