Start small: Kelly Malloy’s playbook for modernizing MSL training with GenAI.

At Fierce Pharma Week, Kelly Malloy (Senior Vice President of Customer Engagement for AI and Augmented Intelligence), laid out a pragmatic, evidence-based path for how Medical Affairs teams can use generative AI to upgrade Medical Science Liaison (MSL) training. Her core message: adoption is still early, which creates a first-mover advantage for organizations willing to pilot targeted, measurable use cases now.

The training gap, and why it matters

Kelly explains that effective MSL development must balance scientific depth with strong soft skills. Traditional training approaches aren’t keeping pace: 83% of new MSLs report feeling under-prepared in their first year in the field, even as the role remains pivotal for evidence exchange with HCPs and ultimately, better patient outcomes.

MSL Interact: A safer place to practice

One concrete response to that skills gap is MSL Interact, a training environment built specifically for Medical Affairs. Learners rehearse lifelike HCP encounters with persona-driven, animatic avatars which allows MSLs to build confidence and consistency in a low-risk setting before they step into real-world conversations.

The adoption opportunity

From the conference itself, Kelly’s biggest takeaway was striking: few attendees had formally embedded generative AI into their training protocols. She sees this as a major opportunity for leaders responsible for MSL development to experiment with GenAI now so that their field teams are better prepared for HCP conversations.

How to start (and scale) without boiling the ocean

Kelly’s implementation advice is refreshingly practical:

• Start small. Pick one pressing business need and map it to a specific technology and repeatable process that clearly alleviates that challenge.
• Pilot with champions. Launch with a small cohort, secure quick wins, and treat outcomes as feedback. If it works, scale deliberately; if it doesn’t, pivot.

Why speak to Inizio Medical

For organizations ready to move, Kelly highlights Inizio Medical’s combination of Medical Affairs expertise and change-management and learning design capabilities. Beyond tools like MSL Interact, Inizio Medical can help teams architect the right structure, process and training stack, and support the organizational change needed to make pilots successfully and scalable.

Bottom line

Whilst generative AI in its current form is certainly a powerful tool, it certainly isn’t a fix-all. However, when used deliberately it can accelerate both the scientific and human sides of MSL performance. In summary: Identify a single high-impact use case, pilot with champions, measure what matters, and either scale or switch tactics. Teams that move first will set the bar for confident, compliant, and consistently high-quality HCP engagement.

Discover more about how MSL Interact is transforming Medical Affairs.