Agility & AI: Leadership in the Future

We’re functioning in a world where technology, regulation, innovation and customer expectations are rapidly changing. As the CEO of a clinical trial technology company, this is evident. The field faces long development timelines, tight regulation and increasing pressure to innovate, making agility essential. Anticipating what’s coming and building a foundation that enables pivoting and adapting is important.

Keeping a pulse of the actual problems end users are facing leads to better products and a better approach to solving challenges. Creating adaptable strategies requires hammering out the core problems and exploring multiple solutions. The process requires constant iteration and ruthless prioritization. Resisting the temptation to throw AI at everything is also necessary.

The Importance of Asking Why

Often, elaborate tools are built to solve flashy problems that don’t actually exist. In clinical trials, there’s a rush to build next-generation platforms, but it's important to ask whether they help the people on the ground. Asking “why” repeatedly ensures you’re solving a real need.

AI in Clinical Trials

AI has massive potential in clinical trials, but its application isn’t straightforward. While drug design has already benefited from AI, applying the technology to clinical operations, which involves people, introduces new and real challenges. Once AI has to directly interact with human participants or site staff, issues like safety, trust and regulatory compliance rise to the forefront. This is a major challenge when trying to provide AI solutions, as there are expectations that often cannot be applied to the demands of clinical operations.

Too many solutions are dreamed up in boardrooms without talking to clinical researchers, trial coordinators and participants. Spending time at trial sites helps to learn what’s working and what isn’t. Sometimes the right solution is simple and targeted. For example, issues from patient qualification criteria to data quality, are rooted in things as basic as the organization of information in a document. Participants and researchers shouldn’t have to navigate lengthy PDFs. Making these materials easier to read and use can make all the difference. That only becomes clear when listening closely.

Learning from Regulation

There’s something to learn from heavily regulated industries. Regulation forces more questions and validating assumptions. In fast-moving sectors, there’s often a race from idea to prototype to launch. But without the discipline to ask “why,” you may miss what really matters and the solution won’t stick, or worse, it’ll solve the wrong problem. On the other hand, leaders who stay curious, listen closely to their customers and stay open to change are more likely to hit what they’re aiming for.