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AI’s Impact on Materials Discovery with Susan Schofer
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Kira Colburn
Kira Colburn

Susan Schofer, Partner & Chief Science Officer, at SOSV’s HAX, recently spoke with MIT Tech Review about a major shift underway in materials science: the rise of AI-assisted and autonomous laboratories.

Well-funded startups are betting that AI can dramatically speed up how new materials are discovered, using agents to design experiments, run lab robotics, and analyze massive datasets in search of better-performing materials. The promise is enormous, but so is the challenge. Despite decades of scientific breakthroughs, only a handful of materials innovations (like lithium-ion batteries) have made it to large-scale commercial success. Long timelines, high costs, and low-margin markets have kept many breakthroughs stuck in the lab.

Susan, who previously worked as a catalyst researcher at one of the earliest automated materials discovery startups, touts that she is cautiously optimistic. She believes AI could fundamentally change the field, but only if startups can show a credible path from breakthrough science to real-world impact. As she puts it, “[startups need to] show us how they’re going to get there.”

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