Ginkgo Bioworks and OpenAI Use GPT-5 to Automate Biological Experiments

Ginkgo Bioworks, in collaboration with OpenAI, has demonstrated an AI-driven laboratory system powered by GPT-5, announced in a press release. The system autonomously designed, executed, and analyzed biological experiments with minimal human involvement, achieving a 40% cost reduction in cell-free protein synthesis compared to the state of the art.

The GPT-5 model was integrated with Ginkgo’s cloud laboratory infrastructure, which includes reconfigurable automation carts and Catalyst automation software. Over six iterative cycles, the system ran 36,000 experimental conditions, producing nearly 150,000 data points. Human participation was limited to reagent preparation and system oversight.

The AI-driven lab achieved production of superfolder green fluorescent protein at $422 per gram of protein, down from $698 per gram previously reported. GPT-5 designed experiments, interpreted data, and refined its approach over six months, even proposing new reagents that matched findings from research it had not accessed directly.