A revolutionary artificial intelligence tool has helped a couple conceive after nearly two decades of infertility — marking a major milestone in reproductive medicine and offering hope to thousands of others. The tool, developed at the Columbia University Fertility Center, led to what experts are calling the first AI-enabled conception.
The new system, known as Sperm Tracking and Recovery (STAR), uses cutting-edge technology inspired by astrophysics. Just as astronomers scan galaxies to detect new stars, STAR scans semen samples to locate rare, viable sperm cells in men diagnosed with azoospermia, a condition in which semen contains little or no measurable sperm.
A Painful Diagnosis Gets a High-Tech Solution
“Azoospermia is a heartbreaking diagnosis,” says Dr. Zev Williams, director of Columbia University Fertility Center and the creator of STAR. “Most men with this condition are otherwise healthy and show no outward symptoms.”
In many cases, semen samples from azoospermic men appear completely normal to the naked eye. But under a microscope, the reality becomes clear: no sperm. Traditional fertility solutions for these patients often involve painful surgery or using donor sperm. STAR, however, presents a gentler, more effective option.
How the STAR System Works
STAR uses a powerful combination of AI, robotics, and microfluidics to locate sperm cells. A specially designed chip with microscopic grooves filters the semen, while an imaging system captures more than 8 million images in under an hour. The AI system analyzes each image, identifying and isolating sperm cells when present.
Once identified, a robotic arm removes the sperm within milliseconds. These cells are then stored for in vitro fertilization (IVF). The rest of the process follows standard IVF procedures managed by embryologists.
Dr. Williams compares the process to “finding a needle in a thousand haystacks spread across 10 football fields — and doing it in less than two hours.”
A First-of-Its-Kind Pregnancy
In March 2025, a woman who goes by the pseudonym Rosie became the first patient to conceive using STAR-retrieved sperm. She and her husband had been trying to have a child for 18 years. After learning about the technology in a fertility support group, she was connected to Dr. Williams through her physician at Columbia.
Now pregnant, Rosie is a symbol of what’s possible when advanced science meets human hope.
Avoiding Harm, Preserving Life
Unlike older methods that risk damaging the semen sample through spinning, lasers, or chemical dyes, STAR is designed to be gentle and non-invasive. That care is vital, says Williams.
“When you’re working with just one sperm cell to fertilize an egg, you have to be extremely cautious. That one cell will go on to form every cell in the baby’s body,” he explains.
The Future of Fertility: Banking Hope
STAR is already changing the landscape of fertility treatment. More patients are now in what Dr. Williams calls the “banking stage,” isolating and freezing sperm cells for future use.
Though other AI fertility tools exist — including those that assess embryo viability or analyze medical data — STAR is the first AI-powered system able to retrieve sperm from azoospermic samples with this level of accuracy.
“This is helping a group of patients that had almost no options before,” says Williams. “We’re using artificial intelligence to create real life.”
He believes this is only the beginning. “There’ll be this child — and hopefully thousands more — who wouldn’t be here without this technology. That’s the real power of what we’ve built.”
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