Ginkgo Bioworks' 'human vs OpenAI agents' biology contest scrapped and rebooted

Ginkgo Bioworks planned a three-round protein design contest pitting Stanford professor Michael Jewett against OpenAI AI agents at its robot-filled Boston lab. The Sept. 14 first round was postponed and the 'Mike Versus the Machines' concept was scrapped, but the competition is back on in a revised form.

• Contest was set as three rounds of cell-free protein synthesis
• Jewett could use any commercial AI; OpenAI would use unreleased models
• First round on Sept. 14 was postponed and the concept reworked
• Venue was Ginkgo's 15,000-square-foot robot lab in Boston