Reshma Shetty, co-founder and COO of Ginkgo Bioworks, walks through an autonomous lab where AI robots replace lab benches. Shetty says using AI has already fundamentally changed the way she practices science.

Scientists are building autonomous robotic labs powered by artificial intelligence. The goal, they say, is for these robots to take over human researchers' most laborious, time-consuming tasks.

(Image credit: Jodi Hilton for NPR)