AI in clinical trials: why industry must lead in shaping regulation

An Expert View from Alistair Henry, executive vice president, chief scientific officer and head of patient solutions, UCB (Euronext: UCB).

As scientists, our innate curiosity drives us to explore the unknown. We see a complex biological pathway not as a barrier, but as a puzzle waiting to be solved. Today, one of the most powerful tools for solving these puzzles is artificial intelligence (AI). AI is no longer a distant concept; it's reshaping how we approach clinical research, from accelerating patient recruitment to enabling adaptive trial designs and extracting insights from complex, multimodal data, AI technologies are becoming increasingly integral to how trials are conceived, executed and reported.

But as we integrate these incredible technologies into our work, we face a pivotal question: how do we build a foundation of trust? For AI to realize its full potential, it must earn the confidence of regulators, clinicians, and most importantly, patients. The responsibility rests with us, the scientists and innovators at the heart of the industry, to guide its development. We cannot simply be passengers on this journey; we must be the driving changes; ensuring they are safe, ethical, and effective.