AI in Pharma & Life Sciences: the Technology is among us, are companies ready to welcome it?

Dear readers, without even noticing, the days have gotten longer and warmer, and the first automatic replies are being sent (looks like this year trend is to make them more informal), signaling OoO periods. And while we get ready to take a break, there is someone (or better, something) that never did that, and if you know us, you surely know what we are talking about: technological innovation.

In previous articles, we have often discussed how quickly innovation moves and how new technologies enter the market at such a rapid pace that, sometimes, companies risk not having enough time to understand their true strategic potential. This, in turn, might lead them to miss the opportunity to be recognized as Innovation Leaders, a title as desired as it is complex to reach. However, we can’t deny that this is a hotly contested throne for several reasons: the first, as we mentioned earlier, concerns the speed at which new technologies advance and replace one another; the second pertains to a company's ability to keep up with the flow of innovation; and the third is knowing how to wisely choose the advisors to keep by your side. At Trueblue, we have talked about AI and innovation both in the present and the future tenses because, as a Tech company with more than twenty years of experience in the Pharma & Life Sciences industries, we knew that the time for waiting and observing was coming to an end. And that moment has arrived. People are using AI, they have seen with their own eyes how it can become a support in daily work activities, and they want to continue using it.

Why do we believe it? To support this there is, as always, data, real and understandable, which paints the picture of a future which no market can escape, Pharma and Life Sciences included.

AI e GenAI: is it too late to become innovators?

The answer is “it depends.” The very concept of “innovation,” as used today, is used far too lightly. However, what we are certain of is that a company’s technological infrastructure today must meet the expectations of its market in order to stay competitive. It’s not that easy, we know it; introducing innovative technologies based on AI and GenAI within Pharma and Life Sciences companies requires them, are already subjected to a highly regulated environment, to chart a growth path that lies outside their usual scope of operations. This demands a shift they might not be accustomed to making. Sometimes, taking this step may require implementing Change Management processes and training, but it will never require them to start developing a “muscle” beyond their reach. This is because, contrary to what might be assumed at first glance, AI will never replace human intelligence, and people today are aware of this. That’s why they are ready to embrace AI. Just take a look at the data obtained by Microsoft and LinkedIn from a global study, the 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report: 3 out of 4 respondents use AI in their work activities (75%), and 46% of them have started using it in the last six months. Even more interesting are the data that identify the concrete use of AI by the respondents:

• 51% uses AI to analyze information;
• 49% uses it to interact with customers;
• While 37% shared they find benefits in terms of problem-solving or brainstorming.

This data is no longer the mere representation of a trend, we can’t use the word hype when talking about AI, and that’s because the benefits and support these technologies have, especially those using AI, have become so straightforward as to bring people using it correctly, consciously or unconsciously, to never want to go back.

Pharma e Life Science: let’s welcome a new, needed and possible way of working

As mentioned, the data paints a clear direction in which the markets are heading. However, when we talk about Pharma and Life Sciences, we must consider the distinctive traits that characterize these industries. On one hand, there is a tendency to embrace change at a slower pace compared to others, and on the other hand, there is a strong need for innovation. This is precisely why they require a tech partner who not only has experience and is ready to innovate by stepping up to the challenge, but who is also capable of understanding and anticipating the specific needs of each individual company. This is especially crucial in this historical moment where AI has become a must to maintain a competitive advantage.

However, it would be simplistic to claim that the mere integration of AI-driven products, capable of reducing the workload of the sales force, is enough to achieve success. In fact, it’s essential to consider that, with increasingly fragmented customer journeys, being in the right place at the right time and offering a personalized experience for each individual HCP is imperative for the success of commercial strategies. AiDEA Sales, our AI-driven CRM tailored to the Pharma and Life Science markets, has everything you need to discover the true benefits of AI and GenAI. Because ultimately, once AI is understood and utilized, there's no going back.

And if what we've shared in this article isn't enough for you, and you want to explore even more of AI's potential (and if that's the case, you have our utmost admiration—true innovators crave knowledge), we invite you to read the success stories of our clients.