Life sciences head Eric Kauderer-Abrams confirmed to Reuters that a new physical biology facility enables the AI developer to move research beyond computer simulations. The lab integrates the Claude AI model with robotic units to automate biological experiments with limited human intervention in the San Francisco Bay Area. While some reports link the effort to rare and traditionally undruggable disease research, an Anthropic spokesperson stated the lab is not for drug discovery specifically and declined to elaborate.

The company focuses on preclinical research to avoid direct competition with pharmaceutical firms. This expansion follows years of warnings from Anthropic that advanced AI could create catastrophic biological risks or enable the creation of bioweapons. The facility remains focused on the early stages of using AI to automate laboratory work through the use of robotic units without moving into clinical trials.