Insights from the 2026 MAPS Americas Annual Meeting and the ISMPP 22nd Annual Meeting
Between 2023 and today, technology and ethical considerations regarding artificial intelligence (AI) have evolved rapidly, reshaping how pharma teams develop insights, assess content, and engage stakeholders. The question for Medical Affairs and Medical Communications leaders is no longer whether AI will play a role, but how to prepare teams to use it responsibly, effectively, and with purpose.
Why Upskilling Matters More Than Tools
The real value of AI comes from investing in people first and pairing up new technology with the skills, mindset, and governance required to use it well. AI adoption is often framed as a technology decision when, in fact, it is a people decision. Without intentional upskilling and change management customized for the internal team, even well-designed AI solutions risk becoming shelfware. Many organizations now have access to advanced AI tools for conducting literature reviews, synthesizing insights, engaging across multiple channels, and drafting content. At the same time, we cannot overlook the impact of hesitation or AI fatigue¹ Skill gaps, fear of errors, uncertainty around compliance, and limited trust in AI outputs continue to slow progress.
The Role of the Human in Charge
One of the most common phrases tossed about frequently when discussing AI is to keep a “human in the loop.” However, multiple sessions and posters at MAPS and ISMPP emphasized we shouldn’t simply keep a human in the loop as a casual part of an algorithm. Humans must remain in charge. A recurring theme was clear: AI is not deterministic; it does not foster relationships, understand strategic nuances, interpret, or take responsibility. People do.
Successful teams are not removing people from the workflow. They are redefining the role of the human in charge and reassessing their processes. AI can lead to efficiencies and surface patterns, but scientific judgment, validation, and accountability remain firmly with people.
Upskilling teams today involves selecting the right AI systems and ensuring appropriate governance and training. This enables teams to learn how to ask better questions, critically evaluate outputs, identify gaps or biases, decide when AI should not be used, and take responsibility for final decisions and deliverables. This requires reinforcing scientific rigor, ethical judgment, and strategic thinking alongside new digital skills.
From Incremental to Transformative Skill Building
One particular session at MAPS reviewed how to scale AI in medical affairs and emphasized that bolting AI onto existing workflows rarely delivers lasting value. Real impact requires rethinking how the work gets done. For medical communications teams, this means rethinking how we have “always done things” and evolving our process to consider AI first.
For example, an AI‑generated first draft should not retain the same timelines as a traditional first draft. The use of AI in this example requires workflows to be intentionally redesigned to incorporate the end‑to‑end use of the tool, including structured prompt strategy, criteria for data verification and quality control, and timing for AI‑generated output review.
Future-ready teams will blend scientific acumen with digital-first and modular content development, data interpretation and insight synthesis, storytelling across formats, cross-functional collaboration, and AI-supported content reuse and personalization.
Addressing the Confidence Gap
Low confidence remains one of the most significant barriers to meaningful AI adoption. MAPS discussions consistently pointed to the need for structured enablement, not just access to tools. Confidence grows when teams have clear guardrails, practical examples grounded in real workflows, guidance on what to do when AI gets it wrong, transparency about limitations and risk, and metrics that measure value rather than speed alone. Throwing technology at a team without the right communications doesn’t build confidence. Teams need support.
Poster sessions at MAPS and ISMPP addressed employee adoption of AI, and the importance of taking a thoughtful, people-first approach to adoption. In reality, people range from AI skeptics to early adopters, and it is important to provide opportunities for people across the spectrum of AI uptake to receive training, ask questions, share successful use cases, and have team members dedicated to their success.
Culture and Change Management Matter
Technology is advancing faster than organizational processes. This gap puts pressure on both teams and leadership. Organizations that see progress are treating AI adoption as a change management effort, not a software rollout. They are building in adequate timing for experimentation, identifying digital champions, sharing examples of what works, and clearly defining what AI should not touch.
As expectations for speed, personalization, and impact continue to rise, the most successful medical communications teams will be those that invest in their people as intentionally as they invest in technology.
Looking Ahead
AI will continue to reshape our industry. The organizations that thrive will be those that prepare their teams not just to use AI, but to lead with it responsibly. The future belongs to teams that combine science, strategy, and human insight and relationships, supported by evolving technology. In this rapidly evolving landscape, clients want partners who can guide compliant and ethical AI adoption. We are actively supporting a medical device client in this work; contact us if you want to learn more about how we can partner with your team.
¹ The feeling of mental exhaustion and overwhelm due to continuous and increased exposure to AI technologies. From TechTarget.Feb2025.
We know how crucial it is to get it right in medical communications. If you’re looking for a partner who can balance creativity with compliance and deliver impactful results –