What's this about?
An MIT graduate researcher connected GPT-5.6 Sol through Codex to lab software controlling a six-qubit chip. With measurement skills, the agent selected parameters, ran calibrations, analysed signals and decided whether to repeat or save results, sometimes working overnight.
What exactly is “qubit calibration”?
A qubit is extremely sensitive and drifts. Researchers repeatedly measure resonance frequencies, pulse settings and coherence time so the hardware performs intended operations — like tuning an instrument whose strings keep moving.
Why is this worth noting?
Clearly defined workflows were often autonomous; weak or noisy signals still needed expert judgment. That boundary is a grounded example of agents moving from software into physical science without eliminating the scientist.