AI is evolving at a breakneck pace, and while it often feels like the "wild wild west," the risk of being left behind is very real. For life sciences companies, alignment with AI isn't just a tech upgrade—it's a requirement for survival. However, the path to implementation doesn't have to be a multi-year slog. Here is a four-phase playbook to get your company AI-ready.
Phase 1: Pre-Planning & The "Instant Win"
The fastest way to demonstrate value is by unlocking your company's collective intelligence. Most life sciences companies have data trapped in silos: Quality systems, MES, Regulatory Asset Management, ERP, LIMS, and EMS. By building an automated continuous ETL pipeline from these sources into a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) system, you create a powerhouse knowledge base.
The win: An internal, private chatbot connected to this RAG instantly improves productivity. Employees can query complex regulations or internal protocols in seconds rather than hours.
Phase 2: Planning & Process Prioritization
Once you've secured an early win, it’s time to go deep. This phase involves assessing every department through one-on-one interviews to map out their existing processes. We then review these processes and prioritize them from critical to low importance.
The goal is to analyze which specific parts of these processes can be abstracted away or augmented by AI. We use the term "AI Agent" in its broadest sense—whatever tool or model works best for the specific task at hand is what we choose.
Phase 3: AI Agent Implementation
This is where "vibe-coding" comes into play. Instead of traditional, slow development cycles, we leverage agentic IDEs to rapidly build and iterate on AI Agents. The workflow is simple: vibe-code the agent, launch a test pilot to gather real-world performance data, and then deploy to production once validated.
Phase 4: Building Internal Tools (Moving Away from SaaS)
The long-term vision is independence. As we collect data through various sources and perfect our internal agents, we can gradually move away from expensive, generic SaaS platforms. By using vibe-coding to build custom internal tools, we create software that is perfectly tailored to our specific GxP requirements and operational needs.
The Easy Win: Quality
If you're wondering where to start, look at your Quality department. LLMs are already exceptionally good at document processing, making it the perfect "easy win" space for Life Sciences. Whether it's SOP reviews or compliance checks, the LLM is your most efficient auditor.