Anthropic Opens Bay Area Wet Lab for AI Biology Work

Anthropic has quietly established a wet laboratory in the San Francisco Bay Area, expanding its work from computer-based AI research into hands-on biological experimentation. The company is conducting some work in-house and using external partners for other projects, while exploring how Claude could direct robotic laboratory equipment under human oversight. Anthropic says the facility is not specifically a drug-discovery operation but could support research into neglected diseases, including future preclinical work. The initiative builds on its Claude Science platform, acquisition of Coefficient Bio, biomedical hiring and partnerships, and the addition of Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan to Anthropic’s board. Separately, Anthropic has launched a gated Life Sciences Verification Program providing vetted organizations controlled access to biology-focused models, and it has developed Bloom and Petri to evaluate frontier-model behavior and risk interactions. The expansion comes amid concerns about biological misuse and existential risks, highlighting tension between Anthropic’s safety warnings and its push to deploy increasingly capable systems in biology.