AI agent performs brain injection on live mouse in lab experiment

A team led by Gabriel Ocana Santero, CEO of Exin Therapeutics, successfully used an AI agent to conduct a brain injection on a live mouse. The experiment, posted on social media, involved a custom-built surgical rig with a motorized device and camera, allowing the AI to observe, select a treatment, and control the injection process. The AI, initially using Anthropic’s Claude Opus 5.5, hesitated to proceed, but later switched to Claude Sonnet 5, which completed the task. The procedure, which took over an hour, tested a gene therapy for epilepsy, though a technical glitch disrupted the coordinate system, requiring a separate AI to fix the issue. Santero emphasized the importance of human oversight, especially with live animals, and plans to test other models like Grok for future experiments. While the mouse is recovering, the team is cautious about the risks of AI in live surgeries. The experiment highlights the potential for AI to assist in lab research, though safety remains a priority before broader applications.