Measuring AI’s impact on the pharmaceutical industry

The pharmaceutical industry — and by extension, the pharmacovigilance sector — is undergoing a profound digital transformation, with artificial intelligence (AI) at its core. Across the industry, the technology is being leveraged to streamline workflows, improve data quality and accelerate timelines. But as investment in AI increases, so does the pressure to demonstrate its value.

While many companies heavily consider the adoption of AI tools, an equally important aspect is how success is measured, especially in a way that reflects both financial returns and human impact. The absence of standardised success metrics has led to misunderstanding about where AI tools are cost-prohibitive versus when they are most effective.

When success is only measured in terms of cost reduction or automation, the pharmaceutical industry risks overlooking AI’s most valuable contribution: empowering its human workforce.

Understanding the human narrative

The rapid evolution and integration of AI into the industry has been profound. AI has reduced manual workloads, processed volumes of case data, flagged anomalies and automated standard narrative generation. However, AI should not be seen as a form of competition with professionals. This ultimately undersells AI’s transformative potential.

Instead, AI should be seen as a tool for empowering and enhancing the capabilities of pharmaceutical professionals. With AI’s help handling routine tasks, these experts can focus on critical safety decisions, signal detection and regulatory insights, the kind of activities that truly drive the industry forward. One key factor for measuring success, therefore, is how well AI enables teams to prioritise more meaningful and impactful work.

Financial return in context

From a financial perspective, organisations must account for both the initial investment in AI and the downstream savings achieved through reduced manual labour, faster task completion and more efficient resource utilisation. By tracking these efficiencies, organisations can pinpoint the real, measurable value of AI.

According to a 2024 Deloitte report, the internal rate of return on AI-related projects rose to 4.1 percent in 2023 from a low of 1.2 percent in 2022.¹ This growth was driven by financial and regulatory incentives, along with the rise of industry-specific AI solutions and a clearer understanding of the implications of digital transformation in the pharmaceutical sector.

What meaningful metrics look like

While quantifiable metrics are easier to calculate, they are not the only way to measure AI’s true impact. Pharmaceutical organisations need to go beyond traditional financial metrics and create a comprehensive framework that assesses multiple dimensions of value, including:

• Optimisation: Traditional, non-AI-assisted processes are often overly complex, disjointed and time-consuming. AI integration allows modernisation and streamlining of critical tasks, such as data processing and report generation. This not only enhances operational efficiency but also ensures timely regulatory compliance to meet deadlines and manage vast amounts of data effectively. AI applications in pharmaceutical technology, from drug formulation to delivery, yield tangible benefits in process optimisation, predictive modeling and decision-making accuracy.²

• Reassigning skilled resources: Routine tasks like data-entry and initial case processing are essential but monotonous. Through AI-driven automation, skilled medical experts and analysts can focus on more critical aspects of drug safety. This reallocation of effort will improve both productivity and job satisfaction by enabling professionals to engage in meaningful, intellectually stimulating, high-value work.
• Improving quality of analysis: In the pharmacovigilance sector, data quality is especially important. As data is handled by more professionals, there is a greater risk of human error. By leveraging AI to handle data, this risk can be mitigated, ensuring more accurate and reliable pharmacovigilance reporting and insights. With increased reporting accuracy, adverse events can be detected and communicated more efficiently, ultimately improving patient safety.
• Employee engagement and retention: As AI takes over repetitive tasks, pharmaceutical and pharmacovigilance professionals can concentrate on responsibilities that require clinical judgment, critical thinking and domain expertise. This shift not only boosts overall productivity but also contributes to greater job satisfaction and professional fulfilment. A recent survey found that 82 percent of employees believe AI has helped them produce better work, and nearly 60 percent feel it has reduced their workload stress.³

Together, these metrics offer a holistic view of AI’s value beyond process efficiency and position it as a force multiplier for human potential.

Culture – the next investment

While the benefits of advanced AI-driven tools are a factor for achieving successful adoption, the tools can only be as successful as the professionals behind them. For organisations to fully realise the benefits of AI, they must also invest in the culture, providing training, change management support and clear communication to help teams understand how AI complements their existing roles.

Resistance to AI often stems not from the technology itself, but from uncertainty about its purpose. Inviting teams to take part in the process, allowing them to define cases, test systems and provide meaningful, in-depth feedback, builds trust and fosters a culture of continuous learning and innovation.

Final thoughts – centering people in the AI equation

AI has the potential to transform the pharmaceutical industry, but realising its full potential requires implementing frameworks that capture both financial and operational success metrics. These should include cost reduction, time savings, resource reallocation and job satisfaction.

Beyond simple ROI, the real value of AI lies in its power to enhance operational performance, improve analytical quality and unlock the full potential of human expertise. By putting the right systems and culture in place, pharmaceutical organisations can ensure their AI investments drive meaningful, measurable improvements and lasting impact.

References

1. Unleash AI’s potential – Measuring The Return From Pharmaceutical Innovation – 14th Edition. [Internet] Deloitte. 2024. [Cited 2025May]. Available from: https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/life-sciences-health-care/us-rd-roi-14th-edition.pdf
2. Lalitkumar V, Amol G, Keshava J, et al. Artificial Intelligence in Pharmaceutical Technology and Drug Delivery Design. Pharmaceutics. 2023; 15(7):1916
3. The Powerful Impact Of AI On Workplace Behaviour and Wellbeing. [Internet] HR Director. 2025. [Cited 2025May]. Available from: https://www.thehrdirector.com/business-news/ai/powerful-impact-ai-workplace-behaviour-wellbeing/#:~:text=Positive%20impact%20on%20employees,helped%20to%20manage%20their%20workload.