Panoplia Laboratories

We provided $600,000 to support a large-scale randomized controlled study examining whether frontier AI systems enable non-experts to perform expert-level biological tasks. This comprehensive wet lab study compares novice participants using AI assistance against a control group with internet-only access while completing multi-step laboratory procedures. The experiment aims to assess AI uplift capabilities in biological research, informing misuse risk assessments and model-level safeguards. Given the potential sensitivity of our findings, results will undergo pre-review by an independent advisory board of biosafety and national security experts before publication. We co-funded this effort with the Frontier Model Forum, an industry-supported non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the safe and responsible development of frontier AI systems.