The AI, Drug Development and Human-Generated Hype

Two years ago, my colleagues and I were using AI to improve and increase work efficiency dramatically. At greater speed, the tool enabled us to conduct research, develop headlines for articles written, and sometimes do first-round writing for us. It was a godsend.

By December 31, 2022, the value of ChatGPT was evident. We knew when it would be helpful to us and when we would be (much) better off utilizing the tools, skills, and brains we had been using before December 10.

The verdict? Use it. But never, ever let anything generated by ChatGPT out the door without reviewing and rewriting. Today that is still the rule of thumb for our marketing and PR agency and likely many others in our field.

In our field, it didn’t take long to see GenAI’s benefits and understand its limitations. Because this was so clear to us, we could proceed enthusiastically.

Of course, word spread slowly of editors throwing submitted articles back in the faces of those who were not the authors — rather than passing along the work of the “machine.” We were ahead of the curve, so we never faced these accusations. But others did, and rightly so.

Marketing AI in Health

This past week, I had the privilege of attending the 15th annual CNS (Collaboration for Novel Solutions) Summit, founded and curated by Dr. Amir Kalali and nurtured by a group of health innovation leaders who believe that by developing authentic relationships with others in the field, we will sincerely look for opportunities to help each other and, in the long run, move health innovation forward. These are scientists, engineers, technologists, clinicians, and regulators. And they are clear on the level of responsibility they hold for the health sector’s future.

This year, I was particularly interested in hearing about how far AI has come since I last attended the “Summit” three years ago. I was optimistic. After all, there has been so much in the media about AI and health.

It didn’t take me long to realize that I was no longer in the Kansas of marketing and communications.

The first session I attended, “The Value of AI-Driven Clinical Trials,” featured panelists from top companies speaking about AI. The first speaker began by saying that less than five percent of those fighting cancer are even attempting to enroll in a clinical trial. This mind-blowing statistic certainly lends itself to an AI-based solution.

While I had hoped to hear about how AI was applied to dramatically change that statistic, that part of the story has yet to appear.

I’ll spare you the details, but suffice it to say that we are still in the early days of AI playing a significant practical role in the clinical trial process.

Next, I sat in on “The AI Implementation Journey from Start-up to Normal Business Workflow.” The result was similar. The world’s largest companies are spending a lot of time and resources on harnessing (i.e., exploring) AI’s potential power, but it’s just not there yet.

Now, while I was disappointed to hear that things are not as far along as I had anticipated, those on the panels were not in the least frustrated by the timeline for AI’s significant role in drug development and patient care.

Because Health Innovation Takes Time

Now, truth be told, I have the honor of working with many Israeli health innovators who are using AI in significant ways to improve health delivery. Enterprises like AION Labs, GrayMatters Health, Belong.Life and ALZpath (not Israel-based) have figured out ways AI can impact their respective corners of the health innovation ecosystem.

But that’s quite different from the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies seeking to integrate AI as a filter within their drug development systems and reduce a drug’s time to market by 50%, which is not yet happening.

Each With Its Own Timeline

That’s the whole ballgame when it comes to AI. Each industry will have its timeline, and we mustn’t apply one (the shortest) timeline to all facets of innovation. This is easier said than done for health start-ups.

Health start-ups are, in essence, running two businesses at once — they have two objectives:

1. They are trying to make a difference in the world of health and

2. They are trying to raise the next funding round to continue working on objective #1.

For that reason, those who market those companies consistently walk a tightrope between providing information on what is actual and what is possible in the future: 50% vision and 50% current milestones.

And I have no problem with that balancing act. Heck, I’m part of it.

But we must be clear about when we are communicating vision and when we are in the present. After all, millions of patients with dozens of conditions depend on every word we communicate (and FDA and SEC regulators are tracking with suggested claims).

What that means is that as disappointed as I was in the updates provided in those CNS Summit AI sessions, I was also quite encouraged by the openness and measured approach of the panelists. It’s the reason I love attending that conference.

Here’s what CNS Summit host Craig Lipset had to share with me about this issue:

“Throughout the year, we have been inundated with conference announcements and social posts about AI. Is AI everywhere, or is it overinflated? Is AI coming to help my work or coming to steal my job? CNS Summit continues to hold a unique place of hype-busting and balance — with experts and ‘doers’ sharing vision alongside on-the-ground real-world experience. AI holds great potential, but it is still up to humans to adapt, evolve and embrace if we are to realize any impact.”

The truth is the truth, and there’s no sense in hyping it, even if the next round of funding will be easier to secure as a result. As they say, “The truth will set you free.” Feel free to innovate, achieve, and face your stakeholders, knowing they will believe and have continual confidence in what you are saying.