Artificial Intelligence for Discovery in Life Sciences

Checked 1 Oct 2026. Open license (CC-BY, CC-BY-SA, CC0, public domain): full text indexed and used in synthesis.

Artificial intelligence is becoming a transformative tool in life sciences, not just by improving the results of existing technologies but also by introducing fundamental new ways of discovery. Initially applied to denoising, segmentation, or pattern recognition, it now extends across microscopy, structural biology, protein engineering, experimental design, and hypothesis generation. In imaging, deep learning enhances fluorescence, cryo-EM, and expansion microscopy and increasingly links optical and non-optical modalities. Beyond imaging, AI accelerates fluorescent probe development, while large language models and multi-agent systems are beginning to synthesize literature, generate hypotheses, and guide experiments. We survey these developments across imaging and non-imaging domains, from microscopy and structural biology to molecular design, hypothesis generation, and autonomous experimentation. We discuss the convergence of AI with tools from chemistry to instrumentation and explain challenges in validation, interpretability, generalizability, and autonomy. We conclude that AI is beginning to connect measurement, design, and reasoning to accelerate biological discovery.

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• AI for science and agentic research