The fields of chemistry and materials science are seeing a surge of interest in “self-driving labs,” which make use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated systems to expedite research and discovery. Researchers are now proposing a suite of definitions and performance metrics that will allow researchers, non-experts, and future users to better understand both what these new technologies are doing and how each technology is performing in comparison to other self-driving labs. Self-driving labs hold tremendous promise for accelerating the discovery of new molecules, materials and manufacturing processes, with applications ranging from electronic devices to pharmaceuticals. While the technologies are still fairly new, some have been shown to reduce the time needed to identify new materials from months or years to days. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-45569-5