AI For Pharma Growth

Hosted by Dr Andree Bates

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241

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Oct 2026

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AI For Pharma Growth is the podcast from pioneering Artificial Intelligence entrepreneur Dr. Andree Bates created to help Pharma, Biotech and other Healthcare companies understand how the use of AI-based technologies can easily save them time and grow their brands and company results. This show blends deep experience in the sector with demystifying AI for biopharma execs from biotech start-ups right through to big pharma. In this podcast, Dr Andree will teach you the tried and true secrets to building results in a pharma company using AI and alert you to some fascinating new tools and applications to benefit you and your company. As the author of many peer-reviewed journals in pharma AI, and having addressed over 500 industry conferences across the globe, Dr Andree Bates uses her obsession with all things AI, futuretech, healthcare and pharma to help you to navigate through the, sometimes confusing, but magical world of AI powered tools to achieve real-world results. This podcast features many experts who have developed powerful AI-powered tools that are the secret behind some time-saving and supercharged revenue-generating business results. Those who share their stories and expertise show how AI can be applied to Discovery, R&D, clinical trials, market access, medical affairs, regulatory, market research, business insights, sales, marketing, including digital marketing, and so much more.

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October 20, 2026Episode 24027 min

E240: How secure and compliant data collaboration accelerates research and medical science

In this episode of AI For Pharma Growth, Dr Andree Bates speaks with Dr. Kurt Rohloff, co-founder and CEO of Duality Technologies, about how privacy-enhancing technologies could unlock data collaboration without forcing organisations to give up control of sensitive information. Kurt explains how technologies such as fully homomorphic encryption and federated learning allow organisations to analyse encrypted or distributed data without exposing the underlying patient information. For pharma and medical research, that creates opportunities to reuse existing data, collaborate across organisations and geographies, and access populations that have historically been difficult to include. The conversation explores why data security should not be viewed only as a compliance cost. Secure collaboration can also become a value creator, helping organisations run better science, reduce administrative overhead and generate evidence that would otherwise be too expensive or difficult to obtain. They also discuss rare diseases, underserved communities, cross-border research and the role regulators and standards bodies will play in enabling wider adoption. Kurt argues that the technology is often further ahead than organisational acceptance, making policy conversations just as important as technical development. Topics Covered Privacy-enhancing technologies in pharma Fully homomorphic encryption Federated learning and secure analytics Reusing clinical and research data Cross-border collaboration Rare diseases and underserved populations Data sovereignty and regulatory acceptance Secure AI and LLM workloads About Eularis Eularis builds AI capability inside pharma and biotech — over 20 years applying AI to real pharmaceutical problems, inside real pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Keynotes and live sessions — Working sessions for pharma teams where nobody leaves with notes. They leave with working prompts and real capability they've already run on their own work. The AI Enablement Institute — Strategy and a workshop get you started; neither stays current. Most pharma companies already have a generic AI course library. None of it is written for a regulatory writer, an MSL or a market access lead trying to get today's work done. Training is an event; enablement is capability that stays current. The Institute runs shared foundations for the regulated constraints, then tracks by business unit function, with new content monthly, live office hours with Dr Andree Bates, and per-person records a sponsor can show an auditor. One price per business unit, no per-seat charges. AI Strategic Blueprint and Governance — Board-ready strategy that links initiatives to commercial outcomes, with the sequencing, governance, capability and financial logic to survive scrutiny. AI Custom Builds for BioPharma — Design and build of the AI solutions that make strategic sense in your operating reality, tied back to the Blueprint. Start with the Institute → https://eularis.com/institute/ Everything else → https://eularis.com About the Podcast AI For Pharma Growth is the podcast from Dr Andree Bates, helping pharma, biotech and healthcare organisations understand how AI-based technologies can save time, grow brands and improve company results. The show demystifies AI for biopharma leaders, from start-up biotech through to Big Pharma. Dr. Andree Bates LinkedIn | Facebook | X

October 13, 2026Episode 23935 min

E239: How to Speed Up Drug Development Without Compromising Compliance

In this episode of AI For Pharma Growth, Dr Andree Bates speaks with Clara Bernardes, co-founder and CSO of Biorce, about how AI can accelerate clinical development without sacrificing compliance or scientific rigour. Biorce was born from a deeply personal experience. After Clara's father-in-law received a terminal melanoma diagnosis, access to a clinical trial through compassionate use extended his life from an expected three months to more than a year. That experience shaped Biorce's mission: reduce the time it takes promising treatments to reach patients. Clara explains why clinical trials are still slowed by protocol amendments, patient identification problems, poorly designed criteria and human-led errors that could often be caught much earlier. The conversation explores how Biorce uses AI and almost one million annotated protocols to support protocol development, learn from previous trial amendments and provide clear rationale for recommendations. Clara also discusses why transparency, AI ethics and keeping humans in the loop are essential in regulated clinical development. The key message is that speed and compliance do not have to be opposing forces. The goal is not to replace scientists or investigators, but to give them better information faster while preserving human judgement. Topics Covered Why clinical trials start late Protocol amendments and avoidable human error AI-generated clinical trial protocols Learning from previous trial failures Transparency and explainability AI ethics and regulatory compliance Keeping humans in the loop Balancing quality with velocity What sponsors should ask AI vendors About Eularis Eularis builds AI capability inside pharma and biotech — over 20 years applying AI to real pharmaceutical problems, inside real pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Keynotes and live sessions — Working sessions for pharma teams where nobody leaves with notes. They leave with working prompts and real capability they've already run on their own work. The AI Enablement Institute — Strategy and a workshop get you started; neither stays current. Most pharma companies already have a generic AI course library. None of it is written for a regulatory writer, an MSL or a market access lead trying to get today's work done. Training is an event; enablement is capability that stays current. The Institute runs shared foundations for the regulated constraints, then tracks by business unit function, with new content monthly, live office hours with Dr Andree Bates, and per-person records a sponsor can show an auditor. One price per business unit, no per-seat charges. AI Strategic Blueprint and Governance — Board-ready strategy that links initiatives to commercial outcomes, with the sequencing, governance, capability and financial logic to survive scrutiny. AI Custom Builds for BioPharma — Design and build of the AI solutions that make strategic sense in your operating reality, tied back to the Blueprint. Start with the Institute → https://eularis.com/institute/ Everything else → https://eularis.com About the Podcast AI For Pharma Growth is the podcast from Dr Andree Bates, helping pharma, biotech and healthcare organisations understand how AI-based technologies can save time, grow brands and improve company results. The show demystifies AI for biopharma leaders, from start-up biotech through to Big Pharma. Dr. Andree Bates LinkedIn | Facebook | X

October 6, 2026Episode 23839 min

E238: The diagnostic room: The Fifteen Failures Only Human Judgement Catches

In this solo episode of AI For Pharma Growth, Dr Andree Bates explores one of the biggest blind spots in pharma AI: the failures that can survive a normal review process even when the output sounds polished, plausible and well grounded. Dr Andree explains why better models and better retrieval do not remove the need for human judgement. In fact, as AI systems improve, people often scrutinise them less. Fluent prose can create a false sense of reliability, while automation bias and anchoring make reviewers less likely to challenge the underlying frame. The episode introduces three broad families of failure: invented, distorted and misdirected. These include fabricated or misattributed citations, silent interpolation, dropped qualifiers, hedge-to-claim escalation, manufactured consensus, stale guidance and planted instructions. Many of these are harder to catch because the output reads better than the truth. Dr Andree also shares practical checks teams can use, including tracing claims back to source, checking what is unsupported, looking for missing qualifiers, regenerating outputs for stability and deliberately testing the opposite case. The key message is that prompting is only half the skill. In a regulated industry, teams also need to be trained to judge what comes back. Topics Covered Why better AI can lead to less scrutiny Automation bias and anchoring Invented, distorted and misdirected failures Fabricated and misattributed citations Dropped qualifiers and strengthened claims Manufactured consensus Prompt injection and planted instructions Claim-by-claim verification Why review methods must change for AI The growing importance of the judgement layer About Eularis Eularis builds AI capability inside pharma and biotech — over 20 years applying AI to real pharmaceutical problems, inside real pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Keynotes and live sessions — Working sessions for pharma teams where nobody leaves with notes. They leave with working prompts and real capability they've already run on their own work. The AI Enablement Institute — Strategy and a workshop get you started; neither stays current. Most pharma companies already have a generic AI course library. None of it is written for a regulatory writer, an MSL or a market access lead trying to get today's work done. Training is an event; enablement is capability that stays current. The Institute runs shared foundations for the regulated constraints, then tracks by business unit function, with new content monthly, live office hours with Dr Andree Bates, and per-person records a sponsor can show an auditor. One price per business unit, no per-seat charges. AI Strategic Blueprint and Governance — Board-ready strategy that links initiatives to commercial outcomes, with the sequencing, governance, capability and financial logic to survive scrutiny. AI Custom Builds for BioPharma — Design and build of the AI solutions that make strategic sense in your operating reality, tied back to the Blueprint. Start with the Institute → https://eularis.com/institute/ Everything else → https://eularis.com About the Podcast AI For Pharma Growth is the podcast from Dr Andree Bates, helping pharma, biotech and healthcare organisations understand how AI-based technologies can save time, grow brands and improve company results. The show demystifies AI for biopharma leaders, from start-up biotech through to Big Pharma. Dr. Andree Bates ⁠⁠ LinkedIn ⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠ Facebook ⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠ X

September 29, 2026Episode 23730 min

E237: Beyond the Pill: How AI is Unlocking the Preventative Medicine Opportunity Pharma Can't Afford to Miss

In this episode of AI For Pharma Growth, Dr Andree Bates speaks with cancer biologist and health educator Rebecca Maff about how AI could help shift healthcare from treating disease to preventing it. Rebecca’s interest in prevention began after seeing women in her own family diagnosed with late-stage cancers and serious autoimmune conditions. Her subsequent work has included machine learning models designed to identify patients at higher risk of cancers and encourage overdue screening before disease progresses. The conversation explores what prevention really means in practice, from early biomarkers and personalised risk modelling to screening, lifestyle, metabolic health and behavioural change. Rebecca explains how AI can help analyse electronic health records and large patient populations to identify signals that would be difficult for humans to find manually. They also discuss the commercial opportunity for pharma. If late-stage disease becomes more preventable, the industry may need to think beyond treating established illness and consider new models built around earlier detection, intervention and maintaining health. Trust remains a major challenge. Rebecca argues that patients and clinicians need to see credible, successful AI implementations before confidence grows, particularly when systems are using highly personal health, genomic and behavioural data. Topics Covered Moving healthcare upstream towards prevention AI-powered cancer risk stratification Early screening and disease detection Biomarkers and personalised risk Using electronic health records to identify signals Prevention as a future pharma opportunity Lifestyle, metabolic health and chronic disease Patient data, privacy and trust in AI Why proof of concept matters before scaling About Eularis Eularis builds AI capability inside pharma and biotech — over 20 years applying AI to real pharmaceutical problems, inside real pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Keynotes and live sessions — Working sessions for pharma teams where nobody leaves with notes. They leave with working prompts and real capability they've already run on their own work. The AI Enablement Institute — Strategy and a workshop get you started; neither stays current. Most pharma companies already have a generic AI course library. None of it is written for a regulatory writer, an MSL or a market access lead trying to get today's work done. Training is an event; enablement is capability that stays current. The Institute runs shared foundations for the regulated constraints, then tracks by business unit function, with new content monthly, live office hours with Dr Andree Bates, and per-person records a sponsor can show an auditor. One price per business unit, no per-seat charges. AI Strategic Blueprint and Governance — Board-ready strategy that links initiatives to commercial outcomes, with the sequencing, governance, capability and financial logic to survive scrutiny. AI Custom Builds for BioPharma — Design and build of the AI solutions that make strategic sense in your operating reality, tied back to the Blueprint. Start with the Institute → https://eularis.com/institute/ Everything else → https://eularis.com About the Podcast AI For Pharma Growth is the podcast from Dr Andree Bates, helping pharma, biotech and healthcare organisations understand how AI-based technologies can save time, grow brands and improve company results. The show demystifies AI for biopharma leaders, from start-up biotech through to Big Pharma. Dr. Andree Bates LinkedIn | Facebook | X

September 22, 2026Episode 23634 min

E236: Why 90% of Trials Still Fail — and What AI Can (and Can't) Fix

In this episode of AI For Pharma Growth, Dr Andree Bates speaks with Raviv Pryluk, co-founder and CEO of PhaseV, about why so many clinical trials still fail and where AI can genuinely improve the odds. Raviv argues that failure is often not because the drug itself is wrong. Trials can fail because of the wrong patient population, indication, dose, design, sites, monitoring or interpretation of the data. PhaseV uses causal machine learning, adaptive trial design and large-scale simulation to help sponsors make better decisions across those areas. The conversation explores why explainability and validation matter in clinical development. Raviv explains that a 95% prediction is not enough on its own. Sponsors and regulators need to understand why a recommendation is being made, which evidence supports it, and whether the result is statistically and clinically defensible. They also discuss using existing trial data to identify responder subgroups, stress-testing designs before patients are enrolled, adapting trials mid-flight and connecting protocol design more closely with clinical operations. Topics Covered Why clinical trials still fail Causal ML versus predictive modelling Patient selection and responder subgroups Adaptive trial design Simulating trials before enrolment Site selection and recruitment Validation, explainability and statistical guarantees Go/no-go portfolio decisions About Eularis Eularis builds AI capability inside pharma and biotech — over 20 years applying AI to real pharmaceutical problems, inside real pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Keynotes and live sessions — Working sessions for pharma teams where nobody leaves with notes. They leave with working prompts and real capability they've already run on their own work. The AI Enablement Institute — Strategy and a workshop get you started; neither stays current. Most pharma companies already have a generic AI course library. None of it is written for a regulatory writer, an MSL or a market access lead trying to get today's work done. Training is an event; enablement is capability that stays current. The Institute runs shared foundations for the regulated constraints, then tracks by business unit function, with new content monthly, live office hours with Dr Andree Bates, and per-person records a sponsor can show an auditor. One price per business unit, no per-seat charges. AI Strategic Blueprint and Governance — Board-ready strategy that links initiatives to commercial outcomes, with the sequencing, governance, capability and financial logic to survive scrutiny. AI Custom Builds for BioPharma — Design and build of the AI solutions that make strategic sense in your operating reality, tied back to the Blueprint. Start with the Institute → https://eularis.com/institute/ Everything else → https://eularis.com About the Podcast AI For Pharma Growth is the podcast from Dr Andree Bates, helping pharma, biotech and healthcare organisations understand how AI-based technologies can save time, grow brands and improve company results. The show demystifies AI for biopharma leaders, from start-up biotech through to Big Pharma. Dr. Andree Bates ⁠⁠ LinkedIn ⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠ Facebook ⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠ X

September 15, 2026Episode 23531 min

E235: AI created a trust crisis and nobody is talking about it

In this episode of AI For Pharma Growth, Dr Andree Bates speaks with Dan Pratl, founder and CEO of Quadron Inc, about a trust problem emerging as AI moves deeper into pharma: how do organisations preserve confidence when more work is generated, shaped and accelerated by machines? Dan argues that verified output alone is not enough. Pharma already has human review, MLR, regulatory sign-off and quality controls, but trust also depends on understanding where data came from, which models were used, where human judgement entered the process and whether that chain can be audited. The conversation explores why human expertise may become more valuable, not less, as AI spreads. Dan discusses shadow AI, the limits of forcing employees onto a single approved model, and why organisations need to reward people for curating, verifying and applying judgement across tools rather than treating AI usage itself as productivity. They also examine the risk of losing the junior work that traditionally builds expertise, the need for stronger audit trails, and why redesigning systems around AI may matter more than simply adding another governance dashboard. Topics Covered AI and pharma's emerging trust problem Why verified output is not the whole answer Human judgement as a scarce resource Shadow AI and unsanctioned models Audit trails across humans, models and data The danger of equating token use with productivity Building future expertise in an AI-enabled workforce Why trust requires incentives as well as governance About Eularis Eularis builds AI capability inside pharma and biotech — over 20 years applying AI to real pharmaceutical problems, inside real pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Keynotes and live sessions — Working sessions for pharma teams where nobody leaves with notes. They leave with working prompts and real capability they've already run on their own work. The AI Enablement Institute — Strategy and a workshop get you started; neither stays current. Most pharma companies already have a generic AI course library. None of it is written for a regulatory writer, an MSL or a market access lead trying to get today's work done. Training is an event; enablement is capability that stays current. The Institute runs shared foundations for the regulated constraints, then tracks by business unit function, with new content monthly, live office hours with Dr Andree Bates, and per-person records a sponsor can show an auditor. One price per business unit, no per-seat charges. AI Strategic Blueprint and Governance — Board-ready strategy that links initiatives to commercial outcomes, with the sequencing, governance, capability and financial logic to survive scrutiny. AI Custom Builds for BioPharma — Design and build of the AI solutions that make strategic sense in your operating reality, tied back to the Blueprint. Start with the Institute → https://eularis.com/institute/ Everything else → https://eularis.com About the Podcast AI For Pharma Growth is the podcast from Dr Andree Bates, helping pharma, biotech and healthcare organisations understand how AI-based technologies can save time, grow brands and improve company results. The show demystifies AI for biopharma leaders, from start-up biotech through to Big Pharma. Dr. Andree Bates LinkedIn | Facebook | X

September 8, 2026Episode 23443 min

E234: The contrarian case for physics over data: can deterministic, training-free models beat ML in lead optimization?

In this episode of AI For Pharma Growth, Dr Andree Bates speaks with Dr. Jacek Marczyk, co-founder and CEO of BioDynLab, about a contrarian view of computational drug discovery: that the next leap may come not from more data and bigger models, but from physics. Dr. Marczyk brings a background in aerospace engineering, automotive, Silicon Graphics and complexity science. His work led to quantitative complexity theory, which he now applies to molecules through BioDynLab’s deterministic, training-free approach. The conversation explores why high precision and high complexity cannot coexist, and why throwing more compute at biological problems does not automatically produce useful knowledge. Dr. Marczyk argues that machine learning can produce impressive outputs, but without explainability, teams may get a result without understanding the physics behind it. He explains how BioDynLab uses molecular dynamics and complexity theory to study how atoms and amino acids move, how information flows through molecules, and which residues act as key “hotspots” in that dynamic system. Instead of treating molecules as static structures, this approach looks at the motion and information patterns that help determine biological function. The key message is that AI and physics should not be seen as enemies. In data-sparse areas such as rare diseases, novel targets and first-in-class chemistry, physics-led methods may offer a complementary route to insight, especially where machine learning has little or no training data to rely on. Topics Covered Why pharma’s AI gold rush may miss key biology The principle of incompatibility Physics-first drug discovery Quantitative complexity theory Why explainability matters Molecular dynamics and information flow Atomic and amino acid participation factors Complexity hotspots in molecules Static structures versus molecular motion Rare disease and data-sparse discovery About Eularis Eularis builds AI capability inside pharma and biotech — over 20 years applying AI to real pharmaceutical problems, inside real pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Keynotes and live sessions — Working sessions for pharma teams where nobody leaves with notes. They leave with working prompts and real capability they've already run on their own work. The AI Enablement Institute — Strategy and a workshop get you started; neither stays current. Most pharma companies already have a generic AI course library. None of it is written for a regulatory writer, an MSL or a market access lead trying to get today's work done. Training is an event; enablement is capability that stays current. The Institute runs shared foundations for the regulated constraints, then tracks by business unit function, with new content monthly, live office hours with Dr Andree Bates, and per-person records a sponsor can show an auditor. One price per business unit, no per-seat charges. AI Strategic Blueprint and Governance — Board-ready strategy that links initiatives to commercial outcomes, with the sequencing, governance, capability and financial logic to survive scrutiny. AI Custom Builds for BioPharma — Design and build of the AI solutions that make strategic sense in your operating reality, tied back to the Blueprint. Start with the Institute → https://eularis.com/institute/ Everything else → https://eularis.com Dr. Andree Bates ⁠ LinkedIn ⁠ | ⁠ Facebook ⁠ | ⁠ X

September 1, 2026Episode 23343 min

E233: The Diagnostic Room: The AI Capability Problem Pharma Hasn't Named

In this solo episode of AI For Pharma Growth, Dr Andree Bates explores the AI capability problem pharma has not properly named: training that works in the room, but fails to hold inside the organisation. Dr Andree explains why one-off workshops, generic AI fluency programmes and broad learning platforms are not enough. They may teach people what AI is, what it can do and where it can fail, but they rarely teach the exact workflows, judgement calls and regulatory context people need for their own roles. The episode looks at why AI capability fades over time. Some people leave training and build valuable new workflows, while others forget how to apply what they learned within weeks or months. In pharma, that matters because many AI use cases depend on cognitive, accuracy-based judgement: deciding whether a generated summary faithfully represents a source, whether a claim is substantiated, or whether an output can safely enter a regulated workflow. Dr Andree also explains why generic training can create risk. If usage rises faster than judgement, teams may become more confident with AI without becoming more capable in the workflows where mistakes carry regulatory, compliance or patient safety consequences. The key message is clear: AI capability needs to be maintained, role-specific and grounded in pharma reality. Training once, or training generically, is not a capability plan. Topics Covered Why AI training often fails to hold The difference between awareness and capability Why generic AI fluency is not enough Role-specific AI workflows in pharma Skill decay and why 90 days matters Cognitive judgement and regulatory risk Why confidence can outpace competence Shadow AI and unmanaged tool use What real AI capability support must include The Pharma AI Enablement Institute The Pharma AI Enablement Institute is the structure this episode describes. Foundations everyone starts with, because the regulated reality is common. Then tracks that split by function - every function, from discovery and clinical through regulatory, safety, medical affairs, market access, manufacturing and commercial, up to leadership. Monthly live office hours with Dr Andree Bates. Prompt libraries maintained as the models change. Per-person records a functional sponsor can act on and show an auditor. Hit a problem mid-workflow and your team asks the library in plain language, then lands on the exact video and timestamp where it has already been answered. One price per business unit, banded by size. No per-seat charges — because per-seat pricing is what causes the failure this episode is about. See what the curriculum contains for your function → https://eularis.com/institute/ Read the long-form argument, including what changed in Article 4 of the EU AI Act in July → eularis.com/your-ai-training-worked-thats-the-problem-the-ai-capability-problem-pharma-hasnt-named About the Podcast AI For Pharma Growth is the podcast from Dr Andree Bates, helping pharma, biotech and healthcare organisations understand how AI-based technologies can save time, grow brands and improve company results. The show demystifies AI for biopharma leaders, from start-up biotech through to Big Pharma. Dr. Andree Bates LinkedIn | Facebook | X

August 25, 2026Episode 23228 min

E232: The Early Readout: Upgrading the Interim Analysis to Catch Futility and Success Years Sooner

In this episode of AI For Pharma Growth, Dr Andree Bates speaks with Tom Coates, CEO of Presentient, about why interim analysis in clinical trials is ready for a major upgrade. Interim analyses allow sponsors to look at trial data mid-flight and assess whether a study is likely to succeed or fail, using pre-specified rules. But Tom explains that many phase two and three commercial trials still do not include a pre-planned interim analysis, meaning sponsors often wait far longer than necessary to detect futility or act on early signs of success. The conversation explores how Presentient is working on next-generation interim analysis and readout strategies, including the BRX platform, which is designed to handle unblinded data while protecting trial integrity. Tom explains why it is not enough to have a powerful algorithm. Sponsors also need secure architecture, audit trails and methods that regulators and data monitoring committees can trust. Tom also discusses where AI does and does not belong. For high-stakes stop or go decisions, explainability, reproducibility and regulatory confidence matter more than hype. But model-based methods, synthetic data and subgrouping engines may help sponsors better understand which patients benefit, who does not, and how to design trials around more meaningful treatment signals. The key message is that interim analysis should not be an underused checkpoint. Done well, it can help sponsors stop failing trials earlier, prepare for success sooner and make better decisions with greater confidence. Topics Covered Why interim analysis is underused Stopping trials early for futility or success Protecting blinding and trial integrity Secure handling of unblinded data What data monitoring committees need to see Where AI fits, and where it does not Subgrouping and individual treatment effects Synthetic data and trial simulation Regulatory confidence and audit trails The future of continuous trial monitoring Eularis helps pharma and biotech leaders turn AI activity into board-defensible governed strategy and measurable commercial outcomes. If your CFO asked tomorrow for the projected return of each major AI initiative - by year, across three years, with explicit adoption, operating cost and redeployment assumptions - could you produce an answer that survives scrutiny? And if you could: would you know which of those initiatives most moves the company toward the outcomes it's exposed on over the next three years? Those are two different questions, and most organisations can't answer either. A strong initiative-level ROI tells you a project is defensible. It doesn't tell you it belongs among your top five. Capital spent on a second-order opportunity is capital no longer available for a first-order one — and no amount of downstream rigour recovers value that was never strategically prioritised. The Eularis AI Strategic Blueprint models both levels: a financial case for every prioritised initiative, and a rigorously modelled ranking of which ones create the most material value against your commercial objectives — then sequences them by dependency rather than enthusiasm, with governance designed for pharma's regulatory reality. See what a board-defensible AI strategy contains → eularis.com/ai-strategic-blueprint-for-pharma About the Podcast AI For Pharma Growth is the podcast from Dr Andree Bates, helping pharma, biotech and healthcare organisations understand how AI-based technologies can save time, grow brands and improve company results. The show demystifies AI for biopharma leaders, from start-up biotech through to Big Pharma. Dr. Andree Bates LinkedIn | Facebook | X

August 18, 2026Episode 23136 min

E231: The Diagnostic Room: You didn't have an AI problem. You had a capability problem.

In this solo episode of AI For Pharma Growth, Dr Andree Bates explores why many pharma teams do not have an AI problem at all. They have a capability problem. Dr Andree starts with a simple question: when was your team last properly trained on AI for their specific role? Not when they were given access to tools, licences or a generic use policy, but when they were trained to use AI effectively, safely and compliantly in their actual workflow. The episode challenges the usual explanations for disappointing AI results: the model was not good enough, the vendor was wrong, the data was not ready, or the organisation resisted change. In many cases, the tools work, the pilots are useful and the training lands. But the working knowledge needed to use AI well is uneven, fragile and decays over time. Dr Andree explains why this matters so much in pharma. High-value AI work is often judgement-led: medical information responses, payer materials, safety narratives, regulatory documents and MLR-compatible content. AI can support these tasks, but only when users can tell the difference between a strong draft and a merely plausible one. She also discusses the research behind skill decay, including why cognitive and accuracy-dependent skills fade faster than simple speed-based or physical skills. That is especially important in pharma, where the cost of a confident but wrong output can become a compliance, regulatory or patient safety issue. The key message is clear: AI capability is not something you achieve once. It has to be maintained. The functions that lead in AI will not simply be the ones with the most licences or training events. They will be the ones that treat capability as something with a rate of decay and build systems to keep it current. Topics Covered Why AI underperformance is often a capability problem The difference between access, policy and real training Why confident AI use varies across teams AI in judgement-led pharma workflows Skill decay and why 90 days matters Why high-value AI workflows are often forgotten fastest The risk of outdated working knowledge Why training is ignition, not maintenance The limits of AI champions and internal portals Three questions to ask your function this week Eularis helps pharma and biotech leaders turn AI activity into board-defensible governed strategy and measurable commercial outcomes. If your CFO asked tomorrow for the projected return of each major AI initiative - by year, across three years, with explicit adoption, operating cost and redeployment assumptions - could you produce an answer that survives scrutiny? And if you could: would you know which of those initiatives most moves the company toward the outcomes it's exposed on over the next three years? Those are two different questions, and most organisations can't answer either. A strong initiative-level ROI tells you a project is defensible. It doesn't tell you it belongs among your top five. Capital spent on a second-order opportunity is capital no longer available for a first-order one — and no amount of downstream rigour recovers value that was never strategically prioritised. The Eularis AI Strategic Blueprint models both levels: a financial case for every prioritised initiative, and a rigorously modelled ranking of which ones create the most material value against your commercial objectives — then sequences them by dependency rather than enthusiasm, with governance designed for pharma's regulatory reality. See what a board-defensible AI strategy contains → eularis.com/ai-strategic-blueprint-for-pharma About the Podcast AI For Pharma Growth is the podcast from Dr Andree Bates, helping pharma, biotech and healthcare organisations understand how AI-based technologies can save time, grow brands and improve company results. The show demystifies AI for biopharma leaders, from start-up biotech through to Big Pharma. Dr. Andree Bates LinkedIn | Facebook | X