Opinion: Artificial intelligence in pharma, health care: at the crossroads of hype and reality

Artificial intelligence is at the forefront of the minds of many pharmaceutical and health care executives. We know this because, as life sciences consultants, our clients frequently ask us for advice on how best to navigate AI.

But along with enthusiasm in areas as diverse as phenotypic screening, drug repositioning, and analysis of CT scans, we are also finding a growing skepticism: What is real and what is hype? An example often cited by skeptical clients are the problems surrounding IBM Watson Health, especially in the cancer treatment sphere, where reporting by STAT and the Wall Street Journal, among others, has revealed a chasm between the public relations stories and the reality as experienced by clinicians.

Now is an