For leaders navigating AI transformation, the conversation around often circles back to the same central question: Will AI replace jobs?
It’s an important concern. AI is moving fast, its capabilities are expanding, and roles and ways of working are beginning to shift. But focusing primarily on whether AI will replace people is missing perhaps the biggest and most immediate competitive threat. People aren’t competing against AI. They are competing against people who are embracing AI to become more productive, adaptable, innovative and valuable.
This blog explores one of the most critical imperatives covered in our new whitepaper: the need to reskill teams and rethink how talent is hired, developed, and retained in an increasingly AI-powered world.
The rapidly widening productivity gap
Across the pharmaceutical sector, AI is already changing the pace at which work gets done. Tasks that once absorbed days can now be completed in hours. Analysis, synthesis, and preparation are happening faster, allowing teams to spend more time applying judgement, expertise and experience where it matters most.
People who are exceptional at working with these new tools are simply able to get more done than those who don’t. It doesn’t take long for this productivity gap to compound either. Learning accelerates as teams move faster, and decisions are made faster. It means organisations able to embrace the shift are starting to rapidly outpace those that hesitate.
As Samuel Mantle, CEO of Lingaro, puts starkly: “I genuinely don't think that AI is going to replace people, but I think that people who use AI will very quickly replace the people who don’t use AI.”
In other words, the threat isn’t that AI replaces human expertise. It’s that human expertise amplified by AI, becomes dramatically more effective. So what does this mean for leaders?
Why hiring for experience is no longer enough
For very good reasons, the pharmaceutical sector has always hired on the basis of deep expertise and experience. Of course, scientific rigour, regulatory understanding, and domain knowledge still matter enormously, but AI has undoubtedly changed the equation.
In a world where core technologies are evolving constantly, experience with yesterday’s tools isn’t a reliable predictor of tomorrow’s success. If experience is the primary filter, then leaders simply won’t be able to hire fast enough to keep pace with change.
As Christian Diehl, Chief Data & Digital Officer at Novartis Biomedical Research, frames it: “Hiring someone solely based on their experience with recent inventions and technologies is not enough, and may not be even possible for the most recent innovation. We need to bring in more curious minds. People with a mindset that says, ‘I don’t know it yet, but I will figure it out,’ and who remain open to learning something new every day.”
As expertise needs to be continuously renewed, curiosity, adaptability, a willingness to learn are becoming non-negotiable skills.
Reskilling as a leadership stance
Many organisations respond to AI disruption by launching training initiatives: new tools, new courses, new certifications.
This is fine, but reskilling can’t be treated as a one-off intervention. In the whitepaper, we emphasise that reskilling is fundamentally a signal from leadership. What matters is whether leaders are creating an environment where continuous learning and experimentation is encouraged and clear guardrails are in place.
As Bryn Roberts, SVP & Global Head of Data, Analytics & Research at Roche, puts it: “Beyond our deeper scientific and technical use-cases, we encourage ‘everyday AI’ through playful exploration by everybody. Once people appreciate what’s possible, a little training and a safe environment enables them to ‘go and play’ in their daily work. It’s only by failing that we’re actually going to see what works and what doesn’t.”
And, when leaders engage with AI themselves, share openly about what they’re learning, and admit what they don’t yet understand, it makes learning safe and curiosity contagious.
At the same time as organisations are reskilling existing teams, competition for AI-literate talent is intensifying. The challenge is not just attracting these individuals, but creating environments where they want to stay.
Highly curious, adaptive people tend to avoid rigid cultures, slow decision-making, and environments where experimentation is stifled. If leaders fail to create space for learning and growth, these people simply take their skills elsewhere.
A stark leadership choice
Pharmaceutical leaders today face a clear and urgent choice. They can embrace AI as a force for transformation, investing in reskilling their teams, recruiting for curiosity and learning agility, and creating cultures where AI amplifies human expertise. Or they can rely on past experience, treat AI as a side project, and allow fear, hesitation, or over-control to slow adoption.
The consequences of this choice are already visible. Teams that confidently work with AI move faster, make better decisions, and deliver greater value. Those that don’t are slowly being outpaced, leaving organisations at risk of falling behind.
As our whitepaper makes clear: AI won’t necessarily replace people. But leaders and organisations who fail to adapt may find themselves replaced by those who do.
For a deeper exploration of the cultural shifts, leadership behaviours, and practical steps required to thrive in an AI-powered pharmaceutical sector, download the whitepaper.