How AI is shaping the future of healthcare, life sciences and pharma.

The big picture

Drawing on insights from the Adecco Group’s Global Workforce of the Future and Business Leaders research, this report offers a unique perspective on how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the healthcare, life sciences and pharmaceutical sectors.

For the first time, it captures the views of both employees and senior leaders, highlighting the urgent need for workforce strategies to keep pace with technological change. 

The message is clear: organizations that fail to embrace AI risk losing the agility advantage – the ability to bring people and technology together to elevate potential, accelerate growth and build workforces ready for what’s next – and their capacity to remain truly patient-focused.

Success demands more than adopting new tools – it requires putting humanity at work, with people at the center.

The research highlights two critical gaps: between the recognition of AI’s potential and the readiness to embed it into talent strategies, and between employee enthusiasm and the support they receive to harness AI effectively. Organizations are also facing growing challenges around workforce trust, leadership capability and organizational readiness for AI-enabled transformation.
Closing these gaps is the defining leadership challenge of the moment and demands a dual focus on technology and talent. 

Thriving in the AI era means redefining roles, rethinking skills and investing in workforce development. It also requires transparent leadership, genuine collaboration with employees to build trust and establish new ways of working and a mindset that sees AI not only as a tool for clinical and operational efficiency – from R&D to diagnostics – but as a catalyst for human capability. Empowered employees, equipped with the right tools and a clear sense of purpose, are key to delivering more personalized, patient-focused care.

 

Key findings

Leaders recognize the importance of AI but do not fully understand the risks and opportunities of adopting it.

Industry executives cite AI agents, and economic and business uncertainty as the top trends reshaping business models over the 5 years.

Only a small proportion (13%) demonstrate the workforce agility, leadership capability and adaptability associated with future-ready organizations.

Only 44% of leadership have taken part in a tailored AI training program in the last year.

Workers are enthusiastic about AI but are not getting the support or sense of purpose they need to reap its benefits.

• 86% of workers are flexible and willing to adjust to the rise of AI in the workplace
• 42% of organizations don’t have an AI policy
• 32% of workers feel actively involved in how their work is being reshaped by AI
• 37% of employees can confidently measure the impact of their work

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Ready for the full picture?

AI is already reshaping healthcare, life sciences and pharma, but technology alone won't determine who succeeds. The organizations that build trust, invest in skills and prepare their workforce today will be the ones leading tomorrow.

Download our full report, Where Talent and Technology Collide: How AI is Shaping the Future of Healthcare, Life Sciences and Pharma, to discover:

• The latest sectorial and business leader research
• What employees and executives really think about AI
• Five practical steps to becoming a future-ready organization

Download the full report today and learn how to build a workforce that's ready for the next era of healthcare, life sciences and pharma.