{"id":3537,"date":"2026-05-26T22:39:45","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T22:39:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/26\/researchers-are-building-ai-powered-robot-labs-what-does-this-mean-for-science\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T22:39:45","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T22:39:45","slug":"researchers-are-building-ai-powered-robot-labs-what-does-this-mean-for-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=3537","title":{"rendered":"Researchers are building AI-powered robot labs. What does this mean for science?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"speakable\">\n      <b data-is-speakable>Researchers are building AI-powered robot labs. What does this mean for science?<\/b>   <b data-is-speakable>Thanks to new technologies like artificial intelligence, scientists are increasingly freed from the constraints of the laboratory. It raises questions about how much humans should outsource to robots.<\/b>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"wrapper\">\n<section id=\"main-section\">\n<article class=\"story\">\n<div class=\"slug-wrap\">\n<h3 class=\"slug\">\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/technology\/\">Technology<\/a><br \/>\n    <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"storytitle\">\n<h1>Researchers are building AI-powered robot labs. What does this mean for science?<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"STORYTITLE\" --><\/p>\n<div id=\"story-meta\" class=\"story-meta has-byline\">\n<div class=\"story-meta__one\">\n<div class=\"story-meta__one-inner\">\n<div class=\"dateblock\">\n    <time datetime=\"2026-05-26T17:26:42-04:00\"><br \/>\n            <span class=\"date\">May 26, 2026<\/span><span class=\"time\">5:26 PM ET<\/span><br \/>\n    <\/time>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"program-block\">\n                        Heard on             <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/programs\/all-things-considered\/2026\/05\/26\/all-things-considered-for-may-26-2026\">All Things Considered<\/a>\n         <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"PROGRAM-BLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"STORY-META__ONE-INNER\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"STORY-META__ONE\" --><\/p>\n<div class=\"story-meta__two\">\n<div id=\"storybyline\" class=\"storybyline-wrap linkLocation\">\n<div class=\"bucketwrap byline\">\n<div class=\"byline-container--block\">\n<p class=\"byline__name--block\">By\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"byline byline--block byline--has-link\" aria-label=\"Byline\">\n<p class=\"byline__name byline__name--block\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/people\/1128948946\/katia-riddle\" rel=\"author\"><br \/>\n      Katia Riddle<br \/>\n    <\/a>\n  <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP BYLINE\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"STORY-META__TWO\" -->\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"STORY-META\" CLASS=\"STORY-META HAS-BYLINE\" --><\/p>\n<div id=\"headlineaudio\" class=\"storylocation linkLocation\">\n<article id=\"resnx-s1-9785946\" class=\"bucketwrap resaudio\" aria-label=\"audio-module\">\n<div class=\"audio-module\">\n<h4 class=\"audio-module-title\">AI robot lab<\/h4>\n<div class=\"audio-module-controls-wrap\" data-audio='{\"uid\":\"nx-s1-5823706:nx-s1-9785946\",\"available\":true,\"duration\":279,\"title\":\"AI robot lab\",\"audioUrl\":\"https:\/\/ondemand.npr.org\/anon.npr-mp3\/npr\/atc\/2026\/05\/20260526_atc_ai_robot_lab.mp3?t=progseg&amp;e=nx-s1-5791835&amp;p=2&amp;seg=5&amp;d=279&amp;size=4479313&amp;sc=siteplayer\",\"storyUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/05\/26\/nx-s1-5823706\/researchers-are-building-ai-powered-robot-labs-what-does-this-mean-for-science\",\"slug\":\"Technology\",\"program\":\"All Things Considered\",\"affiliation\":\"\",\"song\":\"\",\"artist\":\"\",\"album\":\"\",\"track\":0,\"type\":\"segment\",\"subtype\":\"other\",\"skipSponsorship\":false,\"hasAdsWizz\":false,\"isStreamAudioType\":false,\"podcastEpisodeRawType\":\"\",\"podcastEpisodeDerivedPlusType\":\"\"}' data-audio-metrics=\"[]\">\n<div class=\"audio-module-controls audio-module-controls--no-js\">\n            <a class=\"audio-module-listen\" href=\"https:\/\/ondemand.npr.org\/anon.npr-mp3\/npr\/atc\/2026\/05\/20260526_atc_ai_robot_lab.mp3?t=progseg&amp;e=nx-s1-5791835&amp;p=2&amp;seg=5&amp;d=279&amp;size=4479313&amp;sc=siteplayer&amp;aw_0_1st.playerid=siteplayer\"><br \/>\n                <b class=\"audio-module-listen-inner\"><br \/>\n                    <b class=\"audio-module-listen-text\"><br \/>\n                        <b class=\"audio-module-cta\"><br \/>\n                            Listen<br \/>\n                        <\/b><br \/>\n                        <b class=\"audio-module-listen-duration\"><br \/>\n                            <span>\u00b7 <\/span><br \/>\n                            <span>4:39<\/span><br \/>\n                        <\/b><br \/>\n                    <\/b><br \/>\n                <\/b><br \/>\n            <\/a><br \/>\n                <time class=\"audio-module-duration\" datetime=\"P4M,39S\"><br \/>\n                  <span class=\"audio-module-duration__initial-value\">4:39<\/span><br \/>\n                <\/time>\n        <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"audio-module-tools\">\n        <button class=\"audio-module-tools-toggle\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"audio\",\"action\":\"audio_open_more_options\",\"storyId\":\"nx-s1-5823706\",\"mediaId\":\"nx-s1-9785946\",\"title\":\"Researchers are building AI-powered robot labs. What does this mean for science?\",\"type\":\"ondemand\"}'><br \/>\n            <b class=\"label\">Toggle more options<\/b><br \/>\n        <\/button><\/p>\n<ul class=\"audio-module-more-tools\">\n<li class=\"audio-tool audio-tool-download\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ondemand.npr.org\/anon.npr-mp3\/npr\/atc\/2026\/05\/20260526_atc_ai_robot_lab.mp3?t=progseg&amp;e=nx-s1-5791835&amp;p=2&amp;seg=5&amp;d=279&amp;size=4479313&amp;sc=siteplayer&amp;aw_0_1st.playerid=siteplayer\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"audio\",\"action\":\"audio_download\",\"storyId\":\"nx-s1-5823706\",\"mediaId\":\"nx-s1-9785946\",\"title\":\"Researchers are building AI-powered robot labs. What does this mean for science?\",\"type\":\"ondemand\"}'><b class=\"audio-tool-label\">Download<\/b><\/a>\n                <\/li>\n<li class=\"audio-tool audio-tool-embed\">\n                    <button data-embed-url=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/player\/embed\/nx-s1-5823706\/nx-s1-9785946\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"audio\",\"action\":\"audio_embed\",\"storyId\":\"nx-s1-5823706\",\"mediaId\":\"nx-s1-9785946\",\"title\":\"Researchers are building AI-powered robot labs. What does this mean for science?\",\"type\":\"ondemand\"}'><b class=\"button-inner\"><b class=\"audio-tool-label\">Embed<\/b><\/b><\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"audio-embed-overlay\">\n                        <label class=\"embed-label\"><br \/>\n                            <b class=\"label\">Embed<\/b><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/label><br \/>\n                        <b class=\"embed-url embed-url-touch\"><br \/>\n                            <code><b class=\"punctuation\">&lt;<\/b>iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/player\/embed\/nx-s1-5823706\/nx-s1-9785946\" width=\"100%\" height=\"290\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"NPR embedded audio player\"&gt;<\/code><br \/>\n                        <\/b>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"storytext\" class=\"storytext storylocation linkLocation\">\n<p>Thanks to new technologies like artificial intelligence, scientists are increasingly freed from the constraints of the laboratory. It raises questions about how much humans should outsource to robots.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"share-tools share-tools--secondary\" aria-label=\"Share tools\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"share-tools__service share-tools__service--facebook\"><button class=\"fbStorynx-s1-5823706\" data-share-facebook='{\"storyId\": \"nx-s1-5823706\" }' data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"share\",\"action\":\"share\",\"clickName\":\"facebook\"}'><b class=\"share-tools__service-name\">Facebook<\/b><\/button><\/li>\n<li class=\"share-tools__service share-tools__service--flipboard\"><button class=\"storynx-s1-5823706\" data-share-flipboard='{\"storyId\": \"nx-s1-5823706\" }' data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"share\",\"action\":\"share\",\"clickName\":\"flipboard\"}'><b class=\"share-tools__service-name\">Flipboard<\/b><\/button><\/li>\n<li class=\"share-tools__service share-tools__service--email\"><button class=\"share-tools__email-link\" data-story-id=\"nx-s1-5823706\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"share\",\"action\":\"share\",\"clickName\":\"email\"}'><b class=\"share-tools__service-name\">Email<\/b><\/button><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"SHARE-TOOLS SHARE-TOOLS-SECONDARY\" ARIA-LABEL=\"SHARE TOOLS\" --><br \/>\n<!-- END ID=\"NEWSLETTER-ACQUISITION-CALLOUT-DATA\" DATA-NEWSLETTER=\"{&amp;QUOT;NEWSLETTERID&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;BODY-ELECTRIC&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;TITLE&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;BODY ELECTRIC&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;MARKETINGHEADER&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;SIGN UP FOR THE BODY ELECTRIC NEWSLETTER&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;FREQUENCY&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;SHORTDESCRIPTION&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;OUR BODIES ARE ADAPTING AND CHANGING TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF THE INFORMATION AGE. 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What does this mean for science? Thanks to new technologies like artificial<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":3539,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3537","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3537"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3537\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}