New Delhi: Is there anything that artificial intelligence (AI) can’t do?
The answer seems to be no.
For the first time in the world, a baby was born using a fully automated IVF system assisted by AI to help with fertilisation.
The male baby was born at Hope IVF Mexico in Guadalajara.
The AI-assisted system can replace the traditional manual process of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), a common method used in IVF where a single sperm is injected directly into an egg.
ICSI, which has been used since over the last three decades, requires skilled embryologists to perform it by hand. Variability in manual skill and fatigue have limiting factors in the manual process, different studies have found.
This new system can now carry out all 23 steps of the ICSI procedure without human hands — through AI or remote digital control.
A 40-year-old woman, who was undergoing IVF treatment with donor eggs following a failed attempt earlier, got pregnant using the new automated process.
Of the five eggs that were fertilised, four were successfully fertilised.
One embryo developed into a healthy blastocyst, was frozen and later transferred, leading to the birth of a healthy baby boy.
The automated system was created by a team from Conceivable Life Sciences in New York and Guadalajara, led by embryologist Dr Jacques Cohen.
“This new system could change the way we do IVF. It offers more consistency, reduces stress for lab staff, and may even improve egg survival,” said Dr Cohen.
The process took 9 minutes and 56 seconds per egg, slightly longer than ICSI due to its experimental nature. According to professor Mendizabal-Ruiz, future versions are likely to be much faster.
The success story was published in the journal Reproductive Biomedicine Online.
The automated system handled every part of the sperm injection process, including selecting the sperm with AI, immobilising it with a laser, and injecting it into the egg — with greater speed and accuracy than a human could.
Automation is being used in other areas of IVF too, like embryo monitoring, freezing, and sperm preparation.
