Cloud biology labs let anyone remotely run experiments on dangerous organisms without physical access controls

Cloud lab platforms (Emerald Cloud Lab, Strateos) allow researchers to remotely design and execute wet lab experiments through a web interface, with robotic systems performing the physical work. A user can order experiments involving pathogenic organisms without the physical access controls, training requirements, and biosafety oversight that an in-person lab requires. The cloud lab's compliance depends on its internal policies, not the user's institutional biosafety committee. This persists because cloud lab regulation falls into a gap -- the user's institution assumes the cloud lab handles biosafety, the cloud lab assumes the user has institutional approval, and no regulatory body oversees the interface between the two.