AI Gut Check

From time to time over the past couple of years, we have taken a pulse check, chronicled right here, on artificial intelligence (AI), noting how its connections across biopharma seem to be everywhere — and growing. Consider this another check-in. Only now, the conversation feels different.

As three guest pieces in our October issue of Pharmaceutical Executive illustrate, the question is becoming less about what AI can do and more about what it should do. And, going a step further, what needs to surround AI to create meaningful value across life sciences and health care.

Henna Karna of NeuroVitals offers perhaps the most fundamental reminder: AI won’t fix an organization that lacks clarity of purpose. In fact, it may simply scale the fragmentation already there. Her challenge to leaders is to start with the human problem, not the technology, and ensure employees remain participants in the future they’re building.

Regller AI’s Kamal Biswas takes that thinking into pharmaceutical operations, exploring how AI-enabled quality management maturity could connect thousands of scattered signals and alert executives to emerging supply and business risks before they become costly disruptions. The goal isn’t more data — it’s earlier, more actionable intelligence.

And IQVIA’s Kapil Chaddha and Sarah Bickley tackle another increasingly important word in the AI discussion: trust. Speed means little if company decision-makers can’t rely on the answer. Connected data, strong guardrails and human oversight remain essential.

That may be the clearest sign of AI’s maturation in biopharma. We’re moving beyond fascination with the technology itself and toward tougher questions about purpose, judgment, trust and measurable impact.

As always, thanks for reading.

Mike Hennessy Jr. is Chairman and CEO of MJH Life Sciences^®