Anthropic is building a biology lab where Claude directs robots through drug experiments

Anthropic is building its own biology laboratory to push AI-driven drug development beyond computer simulation, Reuters reports. The facility, in the San Francisco area, will let the company run physical experiments, with Claude guiding robots through them with minimal human involvement. Two products already shipped are meant to make that work: Claude Science, an AI workspace built for researchers, and the Model Hardware Standard for controlling laboratory equipment. The company says human oversight is still required for safety. Eric Kauderer-Abrams, who runs Anthropic's life sciences division, said the biggest opportunity lies in diseases long considered "undruggable" because no treatment exists, and that AI could speed the design of complex antibodies that hit multiple targets at once. The lab extends earlier moves this year. In April, Anthropic acquired the startup Coefficient Bio for about $400 million and added Novartis chief executive Vas Narasimhan to its board. According to the report, the company will not run its own clinical trials for now, to avoid stepping on pharmaceutical companies' toes. That leaves Anthropic positioned as a supplier of experimental capacity and design work to the drug industry rather than a competitor to it, at least while the lab is being stood up.