IIT Delhi develops AI lab assistant that autonomously runs scientific experiments

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, on Tuesday, announced an Artificial Intelligence Lab Assistant (AILA) — an AI agent that is capable of designing scientific experiments and analysing results without human intervention.
The AILA, developed in collaboration with partners in Denmark and Germany, can operate an Atomic Force Microscope, make real‑time decisions and analyse results autonomously, and perform tasks in 7 to 10 minutes that previously required a full day.
These advancements accelerated experimental cycles and microscope optimisation, said IIT Delhi in a statement.
Until now, AI models such as ChatGPT have primarily served as digital assistants for drafting documents, answering questions, and analysing data.
The Institute noted that AILA extended these capabilities by stepping into real laboratories and carrying out scientific experiments from start to finish, much like a human scientist.
“AILA helps me with my daily experimental tasks and speeds up my research progress significantly. Previously, it would take a full day to optimise microscope parameters for high‑resolution, noise‑free images. Now, the same task is completed in just 7-10 minutes,” said Indrajeet Mandal, a PhD scholar at the School of Interdisciplinary Research, IIT Delhi.
“Previously, AI could only help you write about science. Now it can do science — designing experiments, running them on real equipment, collecting data, and interpreting results,” said Prof. N. M. Anoop Krishnan, Civil Engineering and Yardi School of AI, IIT Delhi.
“Operating an Atomic Force Microscope requires a deep understanding of nanoscale physics, surface interactions, and real‑time feedback control — skills that typically take researchers years to master,” added Prof. Nitya Nand Gosvami, Materials Science and Engineering, IIT Delhi.