AI and robotics are quietly reshaping in-vitro fertilization, with clinics and companies rolling out tools that aim to boost precision, cut variability and help couples facing infertility. From sperm identification to automated egg freezing and robot-prepared embryo plates, the new tech promises to standardize steps that used to depend on individual hands. Early pilot results and company reports hint at better outcomes, but experts stress careful validation and ethical safeguards before wide clinical use.
At Columbia University Fertility Center, a system called Sperm Tracking and Recovery, or STAR, uses artificial intelligence to pick out viable sperm in men who struggle with infertility. The center also built an automated platform that prepares embryo culture plates, a task researchers say the robot performs with far greater consistency than human technicians. One study in a peer-reviewed journal found the robotic plate preparation to be roughly ten times more precise than manual methods, a claim that draws attention in a field where millimeters and timing matter.
Dr. Zev Williams described the work as “truly transformative” for patients and added bluntly, “There are literally babies being conceived because of our innovations who otherwise could not have been.” “We’re offering tangible solutions to couples who have struggled with infertility for years, even decades,” he said, summing up why some centers are eager to bring AI into the lab. Those are big statements, and they help explain the momentum behind adopting machine-aided techniques.
Startups are pushing the same agenda from outside the academic setting. Conceivable Life developed AURA, a suite it markets as bringing “robotics precision” to a delicate process, and company leaders say the platform handles steps from sperm selection to embryo culture and egg freezing. “IVF requires extraordinary precision, but human hands introduce variability, no matter how skilled,” a company executive observed, noting the appeal of automating repetitive, delicate tasks. The team reports “early but promising data,” including a pilot with a 51% pregnancy rate and 19 healthy babies among participants, and it expects to pursue broader clinical testing.
Another firm, Overture Life, is building complementary products focused on specific bottlenecks such as egg freezing and embryo handling. Its DaVitri device is a handheld tool designed to automate egg-freezing steps and to reduce thermal stress during the process, and executives call their trials “very good results,” while signaling an imminent European rollout. By targeting individual pain points, these companies aim to lower the skill barrier for consistent outcomes and to free embryologists for higher-level decisions.
The cost of IVF is a constant backdrop to these innovations, with single cycles in the United States often running into the tens of thousands of dollars. Policymakers have begun discussing ways to reduce that burden, and public attention to price has pushed private efforts to demonstrate technologies that might reduce the number of cycles a couple needs. Lower variability between clinics and technicians could translate into fewer attempts and lower overall costs for patients who currently face repeated, expensive cycles.
Practitioners note that human technicians navigate nearly 200 discrete steps when creating an embryo in a lab, and each step adds opportunity for variation. A robotic assistant can standardize many routine motions and measurements, helping an embryologist make “complex decisions” with more consistent data inputs. Companies argue this will shrink the gap between centers, giving more predictable results regardless of location or staff on duty.
Those benefits are central to a broader pitch: AI is “reimagining the laboratory” to increase efficiency, reduce cycles and improve success rates. “Right now, IVF outcomes depend on which clinic you go to, which embryologist is on duty and whether you can afford multiple cycles,” a company leader said. “Our vision is to change the technology that doctors use so they can do it without that big investment.”
Beyond economics, cultural and religious concerns surface in conversations with patients. “Different religious traditions have different perspectives on assisted reproduction,” one company representative said, acknowledging that some families seek options that align with their beliefs. Christian IVF, for example, is a practice aimed at avoiding surplus embryos by freezing and fertilizing eggs one by one rather than creating and storing many embryos at once.
Manufacturers say certain tools can support those preferences by improving how individual eggs are frozen and later fertilized. “This is something that the DaVitri can actually be very helpful with, because you know that your eggs were frozen in the best possible way,” an industry CEO observed. Framing technology as an enabler of choice helps companies speak to patients who want both efficacy and alignment with their values.
At the same time, clinicians and independent experts caution about blind trust in algorithms, noting the risk of classification errors and the thorny question of responsibility. An ER physician and AI specialist described the shift as an “industrial revolution of reproductive medicine” but warned that algorithmic mistakes could have profound consequences and raise accountability questions. “AI may assist in creating life, but it must also respect it,” he said. “As both a physician and an AI futurist, I believe our goal is not just more births, but healthier beginnings — achieved responsibly, ethically and equitably.”
