To prepare, please listen to:
- How Autonomous Labs Will Transform Scientific Research: Ginkgo Bioworks' Jason Kelly — From the Training Data podcast, by Sequoia Capital. First aired on March 24, 2026.
- Core Listen: Minutes 4:50 – 35:25 (from "The folks at ARC Institute..." to "I agree", ~30 mins)
- Optional Bonus: Minutes 35:25 – 51:30
In this episode, we hear an interview with Ginkgo Bioworks CEO and co-founder Jason Kelly. He and the hosts discuss how Ginkgo deploys hundreds of robotic "racks" connected with conveyer belts to run thousands of parallel experiments 24/7, with the aim of reducing the cost of research in general and of high-throughput studies in particular. He also discusses a case study with OpenAI, and makes the case for research automation capacity as a national security requirement.
The recommended excerpt is well worth listening to. But as always, you are very welcome to join the discussion even if you haven't had time to listen in advance.
You can listen:
- On the Sequoia Capital website
- On Apple Podcasts
- Or via your favorite podcast app
Questions for discussion:
The Human Role in Automated Labs: If AI and autonomous hardware take over physical benchwork, how does the day-to-day role, training, and skill set of early-stage researchers evolve?
Infrastructure & Accessibility: How might the shift toward "Lab Data as a Service" and robotic workcells impact academic labs and university research models?
National Security, Competition and Labor Markets: Given the high cost of labor in Norway and Europe, can R&D automation be viewed as essential for security, competitiveness and scientific sovereignty, similar to the arguments raised around US research in the episode?