AIQ Command: New Competitive Paradigm for Biopharmaceuticals

Artificial intelligence is redrawing the possible boundaries in drug development. For decades, the pharmaceutical business model has been based on providing human intelligence as a service. Research teams from CROs, sites and sponsors have been the backbone of the system, carefully managing research through complex, manual and efficient workflows. As a result, the study took years to complete and slowed down the process of introducing new drugs to patients. But that era is now replacing the age of AIQ.

What is AIQ?

AIQ (or artificial intelligence quotient) is a measure of the number of organizations that enhance or replace them with AI. This is the ratio of machine-based work to human-led efforts in the clinical trial value chain. Currently, our industry operates near AIQ. But I believe that won't last long.

Why? Because the clinical research we know cannot be expanded at all. The number of trials is exploding, new ways are entering the pipeline, and expectations for faster, cheaper, higher quality execution are rising. The traditional script that hires more people and expects them to work harder doesn’t cut it. The way forward is to enhance human abilities by changing the ratio of clinically developing human to AI.

We are entering a rich age in clinical trials

For the first time we have a tool that has never been experimenting like we are now. This problem is no longer a scientific discovery. With technologies such as Alphafold and AI-powered drug design, the bottleneck has shifted to trial execution. Now we face a huge mismatch between the potential of modern drug discovery and the operational capabilities of clinical research ecosystems.

In this new era, we won't talk about a moon. We will talk about targeting hundreds or even thousands of guns. I believe we will experiment with more signs in a more precise way. But we don't have labor, time or economics that we do in the old ways.

AIQ in action

Let's be honest: average CRO, sponsors and websites have zero AIQ. Yes, they may have adopted some tools here, such as electronic clinical systems or scheduling platforms here, but these tools are disconnected incremental systems that are usually as much burden as a user, like blessings. But they are not a strategy.

The answer is to embed AI “teammates” (also known as agents) throughout the service stack, from project management to data operations to monitoring. These systems work with people to automate traditional manual workflows, thereby improving bandwidth for site workers to make more patient time. Overheads for such research setup and maintenance and other aspects of wider research execution can be reduced by up to 80%, while improving quality and speed at every step.

Instead of replacing employees frequently, AI teammates support clinical research coordinators by simplifying administrative burdens, improving quality and protocol compliance, and achieving seamless multitasking throughout the study. Higher AIQ ratios allow small teams to handle much more load than other possible clinical research.

What is AIQ

As mentioned earlier, improving AIQ is not about replacing people. It's about enhancing their abilities. Here's what happened when the company started transferring the ratio:

• Improve efficiency – AI performs repetitive tasks such as query solutions, document management and compliance tracking, freeing up talent to focus on strategic decision-making and problem solving at higher stages.
• Scalability – Organizations with higher AIQ can perform more trials with the same number of people. This means less overhead and more goals.
• Competitive Advantage – Sponsors have asked for faster schedules and cleaner data. Websites with higher CRO and AIQ will meet these expectations.
• New business model – Real-time dashboards, predictive analytics and active quality control, all of which improve transparency and quality, as well as a more agile business model. None of these can be zero with AIQ when an organization's AIQ goes up, but it may eventually become viable, and maybe even a table bet.

Improved AIQ is a strategic priority

I don't think this is a linear transformation, nor is it optional. Organizations that improve AIQ now will define the future of clinical research. Those who are not behind.

Companies that improve AIQ will not have to hire, improve quality and reduce error rates, unlock faster real-time insights, better decision-making, and become magnets for partnerships and capital investments. Most importantly, they will be those who lead in the rich era.

From Moon Speculation to Power

The idea of ​​betting one drug at a time (the “menstrual” model) will be with higher AIQS outdated, as companies will no longer need to make such tradeoffs. Works genetics is a perfect example. They can pursue multiple programs, iterate faster, and get answers faster. That's what the next generation of biotech companies will need.

They also don’t need to automate 80% of their workflow to see value. In our experience, the inflection point starts about 20-25%. At that time, organizations began to unleash team capabilities and improve consistency.

Now this is possible. The technology exists, and the urgency is real. The only thing left is the promise of transfer.

AIQ is the future of clinical research

AIQ is not just about using new technologies. We are talking about a fundamentally different way of thinking. What changes are possible in clinical research and new standards to be implemented.

The gap between those who raise AIQ and those who won't be narrow, but it's more like a gulf. I believe now is the time for organizations to consider the future of the era of human enhancement through AI teammates.

Photos: lvcandy, Getty Images

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