Lila Sciences, a Cambridge-based startup backed by $350 million in funding, is developing AI systems designed to autonomously conduct scientific research.
The company’s technology combines large language models trained on scientific literature with automated laboratories where AI agents design experiments, control robotic equipment, and interpret results with minimal human oversight.
In one demonstration, two scientists with no expertise in the field used the system to discover a novel green hydrogen catalyst in four months rather than the years typical of traditional research.
The startup has recruited prominent scientists including Harvard geneticist George Church and former Caltech researcher John Gregoire.
Lila plans to expand its laboratory footprint significantly and open offices in San Francisco and London as it pursues what it calls “scientific superintelligence” for drug discovery, materials science, and clean energy applications.
