AI Performs Brain Surgery on Mice for Epilepsy Treatment

Exin Therapeutics, a biotech startup, claims to have successfully used an AI agent to perform brain surgery on a mouse to treat epilepsy. The AI selected gene therapy vectors, dosages, and brain regions using an electronic spreadsheet, three research papers, and a camera-equipped robotic arm. The AI injected 250 nanoliters of medication while monitoring for bleeding. Human oversight and safety protocols, including an emergency stop button, were in place. The AI was limited to the injection phase, with craniotomy and suturing performed by human surgeons. The team initially attempted to use Anthropic's Opus 5.5 model, which refused the task due to concerns about incomplete execution.