AI agent performs mouse brain injection with robotic arm in lab test

Key points

• Biotech CEO Gabriel Ocana Santero let an AI agent select a therapy and control a robotic injector on a live mouse.
• The agent chose from 19 gene therapy options; a veterinary surgeon performed the craniotomy first.
• Claude Opus 5.5 refused to guide the needle, so the team switched to Claude Sonnet 5, which proceeded.
• A coordinate glitch was fixed by a separate agent, which was not told a live surgery was underway, delaying the procedure past an hour.

Why it matters for marketers: Marketers covering AI in life sciences should note that agent-controlled lab work is being tested live, but human oversight and safeguards remain central to these claims.