According to a 2024 report by Markets and Markets, the global laboratory automation market is projected to reach USD 7.71 billion by 2029, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.9%. Automation enables laboratories to reduce manual errors and enhance precision in complex processes, vital for pharmaceutical, clinical diagnostics, and biotechnology sectors. Industry leaders emphasize automation’s role in overcoming labor shortages and maintaining consistent quality control, underscoring its importance in contemporary laboratory management strategies.
We chatted with Cloudtheapp‘s CTO, Wael Zebdeh, on how laboratory automation has evolved to be a building block of modern life sciences laboratories. As an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered product owner, Wael says today’s AI platforms can automate even the technical aspects of lab management, like quality and compliance.
1. What are the challenges with introducing automation in life science laboratories?
Introducing automation in life science laboratories is a delicate balancing act. These environments are governed by strict regulatory standards and meticulous protocols that leave little room for error or experimentation. Automation must be introduced in a way that doesn’t disrupt the compliance fabric that labs have worked hard to build. Moreover, many labs still rely on legacy systems and paper-based processes, which aren’t easy to unwind overnight.
There’s also the psychological barrier: Scientists and lab personnel may be hesitant to trust automated systems over processes they’ve personally verified for years. To succeed, automation must be adaptable, validated, and built around how labs actually function, respecting lab structure while gently upgrading it.
2. According to you, in what ways can automation and AI set labs up for success?
Automation and AI have the potential to radically enhance lab performance and reliability. Automation brings structure and speed to routine processes. Think, sample tracking, deviation logging, document control, and equipment calibration. Eliminating manual entry and repetitive processes reduces errors and frees up time for research and higher-value tasks. AI builds on this by providing predictive insights and intelligent decision support.
Imagine a laboratory system that not only captures data but also recognizes patterns of nonconformance before they escalate, or one that recommends corrective actions based on historical effectiveness. Such technologies allow labs to move from reactive to proactive quality management, which is key to long-term success. Ultimately, it’s about empowering lab professionals to make smarter and better-informed decisions, run faster and precise investigations, and vest greater confidence in compliance.
3. Do you remember your first encounter with automation in laboratories? What was your takeaway?
Yes, a laboratory had a rather rigidly implemented digital system, and their team was struggling. The system technically checked all the boxes but forced them into predefined workflows that didn’t align with the laboratory needs. Lab personnel bypassed the system to get things done, and this experience left a strong impression on me.
Automation, when done poorly, can create more frustration than efficiency. My takeaway was that configurability isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s essential. Labs need systems that adapt to their processes and not vice versa. This realization heavily influenced how we designed our platform, Cloudtheapp, to deliver powerful automation without sacrificing flexibility or user ownership.
4. What drove you to apply AI to quality and compliance, a niche that warrants extensive technical (human) expertise and rationale?
Quality and compliance are perceived as rigid and highly technical fields, but they can be intelligently automated. The time and energy lab professionals spent on repetitive and manual tasks, document routing, deviation follow-ups, training acknowledgments, etc., could be freed up as AI can easily handle them if applied thoughtfully.
What also motivated me was the opportunity to use AI to automate processes, making them flexible and more user-driven, not just efficient. It is not always possible to lock users into rigid workflows in heavily regulated environments. So, we focused on building AI that works with natural language, interprets user-defined requirements, and dynamically creates compliant processes—no coding or IT support needed.
The goal was never to replace human rationale, but to build a system intelligent enough to understand and adapt with it. AI in the quality and compliance space brings speed and structure, but on your terms—that’s why it’s so powerful.
5. From a product-owner perspective, do you think lab managers can rely on AI-powered automation technology yet?
Lab managers are right in being cautious, as in regulated environments, reliability is paramount. What makes AI trustworthy in a lab setting is its transparency and adaptability. We’ve designed the AI features on our platform to be fully auditable, configurable, and easily understandable, because consumer trust must be earned.
In general, AI doesn’t make hidden decisions behind the scenes. It surfaces logic, provides context, and always leaves a clear trace. It’s also designed to work hand-in-hand with humans. Lab managers can rely on AI today if the system allows them to verify, override, and audit every action. It’s not about handing over control, it’s about enhancing oversight, accelerating action, and supporting confident decision-making.
6. What new lab automation tools or technology are you excited about and why?
One of the most exciting developments we’ve worked on at Cloudtheapp is natural-language-driven configurability: This changes everything.
Imagine being able to ask the system in plain language that you’d like to create a workflow for managing stability studies or logging out-of-specification results, and the platform instantly builds out the structure. No developers, no drawn-out implementation cycles. Just AI acting as a creative partner in system design, while still producing compliant, validated outputs. This level of empowerment is game-changing for labs that need to stay agile, especially as regulatory landscapes evolve or new product lines get introduced. It allows labs to reconfigure and innovate at the speed of their science.
Laboratories are at the heart of scientific progress, and the systems they use should reflect that. A majority of labs still operate with outdated tools that slow them down or limit their capabilities. With today’s AI and automation technologies, it’s possible to build environments where quality, speed, and compliance coexist seamlessly.
We believe that the best professionals deserve the best tools, systems that match their level of expertise and commitment. Our mission is to offer laboratories a platform that evolves with them, supports their goals, and respects their standards. Because when labs thrive, breakthroughs follow.
With over 25 years of expertise in Enterprise Software Platforms and Cloud Architectures, Wael Zebdeh is a pioneer in digital transformation for quality, safety, and compliance, specializing in life sciences and laboratory management. Wael has led the development of the world’s first AI-powered configurable compliance platform, enabling organizations to seamlessly achieve compliance with standards such as ISO 17025, ISO 9001, and FDA requirements. By leveraging AI-driven extreme configurability, Wael empowers laboratories and businesses to optimize QA/QC workflows, enhance safety, improve audit readiness, and streamline operations to meet evolving industry demands.
