In a major breakthrough for fertility science, the first baby has been born using a completely automated system for a key step in IVF known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
This marks a big moment in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics in helping people have children.
ICSI is a common IVF procedure where a single sperm is carefully injected into an egg.
Normally, this is done by hand using special equipment and performed by highly trained embryologists.
But now, researchers have developed a system that can carry out all 23 steps of the ICSI process automatically—with some steps even guided by AI.
The new technology was created by an international team of experts at Conceivable Life Sciences, based in New York and Mexico.
The team included embryologist Dr. Jacques Cohen, medical officer Dr. Alejandro Chavez-Badiola, and lead engineer Professor Gerardo Mendizabal-Ruiz. The treatment was carried out at Hope IVF Mexico in Guadalajara as part of a closely monitored pilot study.
The AI-powered system was able to handle the full ICSI procedure on its own or under the digital control of experts working remotely, even from thousands of kilometers away.
For example, the sperm was selected and positioned for injection using AI, which also used a laser to stop the sperm from moving—something that normally requires great skill by hand.
The first successful case involved a 40-year-old woman who had previously failed an IVF attempt. In the study, five of her donor eggs were fertilized using the new automated method, and three were fertilized manually as a comparison.
Four of the five eggs fertilized by the machine developed normally, as did all three from the manual process.
One of the embryos created by the automated system was frozen and later thawed and transferred into the woman’s uterus, leading to a healthy pregnancy and the birth of a baby boy.
Although the automated process currently takes slightly longer than the manual method, researchers believe the time will be reduced with further development. The success of this case shows that fully automated ICSI is not only possible but also effective, even when operated remotely from another country.
The team says this new technology could make IVF more precise and consistent, reduce stress for lab workers, and improve outcomes for patients. While more testing is needed before the system can be widely used, this healthy birth is a major step forward in bringing automation into all areas of IVF.
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