Medicines, doctors and patients: how AI is transforming the world of healthcare

It seeks out new targets for drugs and halves the time taken to discover them; it helps patients understand how to manage their daily treatments or adopt better behaviours and lifestyles; and it is ‘sitting’ right there alongside the doctor when they see their patient, freeing up the doctor’s time to rebuild a relationship based on empathy and dialogue. Artificial intelligence is already ubiquitous in the world of healthcare and will increasingly become the undisputed protagonist of our health. But take note: it will do so with an almost silent presence that does not replace any ‘human’ but rather accompanies them and helps them make the best decisions. In short, forget the more apocalyptic visions of a ‘cannibalistic’ AI, because at WOMA – Inspiring the WOrld of pharMA, the international forum dedicated to pharma, medtech, healthcare and life sciences, organised by BioPharma Network and 24Ore Salute, which brought together around a thousand industry professionals in Milan until last Friday, there is a sense of confidence when looking to the future of the healthcare ecosystem.

Such as the one that brought Bertalan Meskó, founder of the Medical Futurist Institute, onto the stage at Woma: ‘To understand where healthcare is heading,’ explained Meskó, ‘we must imagine rebuilding it from scratch, as if we were stranded on Mars, without any of the certainties we take for granted. The future of medicine must be designed around the patient’s experience. AI, digital health and advanced technologies only matter if they enhance that experience: technology does not replace the doctor, it amplifies them.” For Meskó, “the important thing is that, in the future, technology should no longer be inserted into the doctor-patient relationship: no more keyboards or interfaces; technology will be invisible and will be able to restore empathy and dialogue.”

According to Zack Kass, a global artificial intelligence consultant and former Head of Go-to-Market at OpenAI, ‘artificial intelligence is not a threat to be contained; it is a Renaissance to be led. In the pharma and medtech sectors, it won’t be those who adopt the most advanced technology who make the difference, but those who have the courage to lead the transformation rather than simply endure it. The leaders who will emerge at the forefront by the end of this decade are those who choose today to change the way they work, not just the tools they use.” For Kass, too, a return to human relationships will be crucial: “If we build ever more intelligent machines, we could focus on what matters most: becoming more human again.” This recurring theme of algorithms and AI serving doctors and patients is also shared by Robert Nisticò, president of AIFA, who highlighted that today one in three over-65s takes 10 medicines a day and one in two takes at least five: ‘I believe that artificial intelligence, based on genetic characteristics, lifestyle and the patient’s living environment, can help them take the medicines they really need. Not least because it is only by combining prevention with appropriate prescribing that we will be able to ensure the sustainability of the major therapeutic innovations that are emerging in ever-greater numbers every day.’

The first edition of the Woma Forum was brought to a close by Amy Cuddy, a social psychologist and bestselling author, who reminded the audience that whilst the sector is undergoing a rapid and profound technological, scientific and generational transformation, leadership skills remain the area that has lagged behind the most: ‘In the age of artificial intelligence, the real competitive advantage is not the algorithm, but confidence. Organisations invest enormous resources in innovating their technologies, but they must also innovate their human capabilities – confidence, creativity and psychological safety – with the same urgency. It is these factors that determine whether people view change as an opportunity or as a threat.”