Robots drive breakthrough in pregnancy research, increase IVF success rates

Starting a family may involve some robotic assistance in the near future.

AI-powered in vitro fertilization (IVF) is the newest application of artificial intelligence, as laboratories and healthcare centers around the world have adopted the new technology.

This includes the Columbia University Fertility Center in New York. Its Sperm Tracking and Retrieval (STAR) method uses artificial intelligence to identify viable sperm in men struggling with infertility.

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The fertility center also developed a robot to assist in the IVF laboratory, preparing specialized plates to support embryos.

Research published in the journal Fertility and Sterility found that this robot is 10 times more precise when preparing these embryo culture plates than humans.

Dr. Zev Williams, director of the Columbia University Fertility Center, said in a statement to News Digital that these technologies have been “truly transformative” for patients.

“Babies are literally being conceived because of our innovations that could not have been conceived otherwise,” he said. “We are offering tangible solutions to couples who have struggled with infertility for years, even decades.”

AI in action

Two other companies, Overture Life in California and Conceived Life in New York, have developed AI-powered robotics to carry out IVF processes.

Conceived Life CEO Alan Murray told News Digital how the company’s AURA AI-powered IVF technology brings “robotic precision” to a delicate process.

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“IVF requires extraordinary precision, but human hands introduce variability, no matter how skilled,” he said.

AI technology “automates everything,” Murray said, including sperm selection, egg preparation, sperm injection, embryo cultivation and egg freezing.

Technology is not intended to replace embryologists, he noted, but rather to support them with technology that helps eliminate human error.

Murray said the technology is showing “early but promising data.” In a pilot study, it achieved pregnancy rates of 51% and produced 19 healthy babies among trial participants.

AURA is targeting a clinical launch in the US in 2026, pending testing and validation.

Overture Life has created a similar system of products that are beginning to produce “live, healthy babies,” CEO Hans Gangeskar told News Digital in an interview.

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Overture’s key product, the DaVitri, is a wearable device that automates egg freezing. The company also offers other technologies for embryo selection and fertilization.

Gangeskar said its clinical trials have had “very good results” and the technology is expected to be launched in Europe “imminently.”

Reduce high costs

Last week, President Donald Trump announced a plan to reduce the costs of IVF for American families and expand access, since a single round in the United States can cost up to $25,000.

Although it takes an average of three cycles to have a baby, some women may go up to 15 cycles before achieving a viable pregnancy, according to Dr. Stephanie Kuku, chief knowledge officer at Conceived Life.

It takes 200 manual steps to create an embryo in a lab, the expert said, but a robotic assistant could help an embryologist make “complex decisions” more accurately and potentially reduce the number of cycles.

Murray said AI is “reimagining the lab” to increase efficiency, reduce the number of cycles and improve IVF success rates.

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“Right now, IVF results depend on which clinic you go to, which embryologist is on duty, and whether multiple cycles can be allowed,” he said. “Our vision is to change the technology that doctors use so they can do it without that big investment.”

The CEO noted that this technology could also alleviate some of the pain for families who have experienced multiple failed IVF cycles.

“Everyone has their limit as to how much pain they can take before giving up,” he said. “It’s incredibly personal.”

Religious red flags

For those with certain religious beliefs, going the IVF route can raise concerns.

“Different religious traditions have different perspectives on assisted reproduction,” Murray said. “It’s something very personal.”

He noted that “infertility does not discriminate,” with one in six people experiencing problems globally.

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“Our role is not to make those decisions for families, but to provide technology that makes family formation possible for those who choose this path,” Murray said.

Gangeskar acknowledged that religion “comes up all the time” when talking to patients about IVF options, noting that “Christian IVF” has emerged as an alternative option.

“AI can help create life, but it must also respect it.”

Instead of retrieving many eggs, fertilizing them all, and then freezing the embryos, Christian IVF historically involves freezing and fertilizing them one by one, so that there are never any leftover embryos.

“This is something that DaVitri can be very helpful with, because you know your eggs were frozen in the best way possible,” Gangeskar said.

Potential risks

Dr. Harvey Castro, an emergency physician and artificial intelligence expert in Texas who was not involved in this IVF research, told News Digital that he sees this as an “industrial revolution in reproductive medicine.”

Castro warned, however, that there may be room for algorithmic errors when making important decisions such as the classification of an embryo. This calls into question who is responsible: the doctor, the developer or the AI ​​provider, for example.

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He said most AI systems are validated with limited patient data, meaning large, diverse, multicenter trials are required before expanding these machines for clinical use.

“AI can help create life, but it must also respect it,” he said. “As a doctor and AI futurist, I believe our goal is not just more births, but healthier beginnings, achieved responsibly, ethically and equitably.”