By analyzing both a collection of photos and the captions that describe those photos, for example, a system can grasp the relationships between the two. It can learn that the word “apple” describes a round red fruit.

At Periodic Labs, A.I. systems will learn from scientific literature, physical experimentation and repeated efforts to modify and... See more

Periodic Labs, which has secured over $300 million in seed funding from the venture capital firm a16z and others, has started its work at a research lab in San Francisco. But it plans to build its own lab in Menlo Park, Calif., where robots — physical robots — will run scientific experiments on an enormous scale.

The company’s researchers will... See more

Guided by the company’s staff, the robot might choose several promising powders based on existing scientific literature, mix them in a laboratory flask, heat them in a furnace, test the material and repeat the whole process with different powders.