GoKawiilAnthropic says its Claude AI helped identify a new CRISPR-like enzyme system
Anthropic announced that its in-house wet biology lab, using its Claude AI model, identified a previously unknown enzyme system found in bacteriophage DNA that can cut, copy and paste DNA similarly to CRISPR. CEO Dario Amodei said the work took Claude about 21 hours using roughly 950 agents and 210 million tokens, and credited the discovery mostly, though not entirely, to the AI, while noting it builds on prior research including a similar Stanford finding.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The claim, if validated by outside researchers, would suggest AI models can meaningfully accelerate genomic and biotech research rather than just assist with routine tasks. It also raises questions about oversight given that AI leaders including Amodei have simultaneously warned that increasingly capable models pose growing safety risks, which could complicate how such discoveries are vetted and deployed.
- Anthropic's wet lab, launched this spring, says its Claude model helped find a CRISPR-like enzyme system in bacteriophage DNA.
- The discovery reportedly took about 21 hours of AI effort using nearly 950 agents and 210 million tokens.
- Independent validation is still needed, and Anthropic acknowledges the work builds on earlier research, including a similar Stanford discovery.
Source: techcrunch.com — Julie Bort, 2026-09-23
Published there as: “Anthropic says its biology lab has already found something big”
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