By Paul Herbert, SVP, Digital Strategy, Inizio Evoke Comms
Around 200 leaders from across pharma marketing, communications, and medical affairs came together in early March for the Age of AI Europe conference in London. Among them was Inizio Evoke’s SVP of Digital Strategy, Paul Herbert, who shares his takeaways from the event.
The industry now accepts AI will change things significantly
At past events, a large dose of skepticism would often greet talk of the transformative potential of AI. Not now. What stood out at this event was that there is now very little doubt about the long-term impact of AI.
Most organizations have already experimented with generative AI tools and there is broad acceptance that AI will reshape workstreams across marketing, medical, and commercial functions. However, the big challenge is how to make it work safely and effectively without getting lost in endless governance issues, confusing workflows, or scattered pilot projects.
AI execution remains small scale and experimental
Most organizations are still running small, team-based AI experiments using custom GPT-style assistants, Copilot-style productivity tools, or other off-the-shelf agents.
These experiments are typically owned by individual teams or ‘AI pioneers’, with little evidence of enterprise-scale implementation or joined-up thinking.
At Evoke, the step has been taken to embed data, technology, and AI at the core of the commercialization model, ensuring it is not just left to certain teams or individuals to explore. The organization also recognizes the unique challenges healthcare faces, particularly around regulatory issues. That is why purpose-built AI platforms have been developed specifically for the industry.
Most organizations are trying to automate existing workflows
One of the ways companies are implementing AI is by essentially augmenting existing systems and legacy processes. While this is an understandable approach for the AI-cautious, it appears to be limiting progress.
This is something Evoke recognized quite early on. At Evoke—and across Inizio—the view is that AI is not just a way to do the same things a little better; it is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to completely reimagine organizational structures, roles, and workflows around AI capabilities.
Data fragmentation and organizational silos remain major barriers
One of the reasons organizations are unable to apply a more transformative approach to AI adoption is that they are typically constrained by fragmented data, with unclear ownership and siloed expertise.
Without addressing these fundamental issues, life sciences companies will fail to realize the productivity gains often associated with AI transformation.
If this sounds familiar, it is something Inizio can advise on.
AI is as much about people as it is about technology
Technology implementation is one thing, but the people involved really matter. AI works best when there is a human in the loop and when companies invest in their people to think differently and have the confidence to get hands-on with the tools.
One of the day’s standout sessions came from colleagues at Inizio Medical and Inizio Ignite. They discussed some impressive AI applications, but the bigger takeaway was that the companies moving fastest are those where trusted team members are empowered to lead the way. Simply knowing about AI is not enough; real change happens when people actively use it.
For those interested in discussing any of these themes in more depth or learning more about how AI is used to benefit clients and projects, please get in touch.