Trust in Autonomous Labs - Incite at Columbia University

Autonomous experimentation systems—also known as autonomous labs—are engineered platforms capable of running a high number of scientific experiments autonomously.

These systems are assisted by computational tools designed and programmed with a high level of precision, accuracy, and resilience. Autonomous labs are associated with the rapid progress of algorithm efficiency because they enable computational exploration of chemical space to design new materials.

This project aims to explore the implications of autonomous labs in knowledge and society. More specifically, it examines how trust is constructed among scientists working in chemical and material science research, bioengineering, bottom-up synthetic biology, and precision oncology.

Trust in Autonomous Labs also produces empirical evidence of discourses, practices, and ethical principles guiding the knowledge production in autonomous labs and explores pathways experts adopt to build broader societal trust in autonomous labs between researchers from multiple fields, technology developers, regulators, policy-makers, and society.