For decades, assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures have been performed manually thanks to the meticulous work of skilled embryologists. Recently, new technologies have been developed with three main scopes: improving embryo culture conditions; making diagnostic evaluations more consistent and reliable; and allowing ART procedures to become progressively less subjective and operator-dependent. This review aimed to answer the following questions: is automation likely to be successfully incorporated into the in vitro fertilization laboratory and clinical ART in the future? If so, would such automation result in improved outcomes in ART?