How gen AI is reshaping med comms – and the barriers that remain

The uses, benefits, and challenges of AI in medical communications were among the topics at the recent European conference of the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals. Inizio Medical’s Patrick Girodani, Vice President, AI Solutions Architect, reports back on some of the themes raised. 

Generative AI is now widely employed across the medical publications and scientific comms community. Primarily, AI is used to summarize content and draft manuscripts, saving time in the early stages of writing. But it’s also producing insights by analyzing large datasets, social media discussions, online forums, and congress abstracts.  

Similarly, AI can rapidly scan vast literature archives such as PubMed and Medline, as well as help write and review journal articles. Delegates also saw how AI is localizing scientific content for different markets, creating scientific narratives, and even developing whole communication strategies.  

Although there are many benefits in terms of speed, greater powers of analysis, and cost savings, AI still faces a number of barriers to wider adoption: 

Trust issues

There continue to be concerns over the accuracy of AI-produced content, so human oversight remains crucial to preventing mistakes. Furthermore, human input is required to provide contextual relevance for some content; AI struggles with scientific nuances, citations, and ethical implications. Agencies and publishers must strike a balance between the benefits of automation and the need for quality assurance. 

Copyright and legal problems

Over 50% of scientific content can’t be used in gen AI tools due to copyright restrictions, limiting analysis. Medical and scientific journal publishers are hesitant to allow AI-generated submissions, highlighting the need for clear legal guidance around AI’s use in publishing. 

Organizational and technical barriers

While pharma companies have proprietary AI models, full adoption for medical writing is still evolving. AI integration requires much greater cross-functional alignment among clients, systems, and protocols.

Workforce and psychological impact

A prominent concern about AI is its impact on jobs. As AI drives efficiencies, we could see increased cost-cutting and workforce reductions. How will the writers and editors who remain adapt to survive? As the more repetitive, low-cognitive tasks are eliminated by AI, workers could face burnout due to continuously focusing on more complex, strategic work.  

The impact of AI on publishing and peer review 

One of the most interesting areas of development will be what happens in publishing. AI is now widely used in editing and journal selection, with some pharma companies using AI to generate entire first drafts.  

Publishers are cautiously adopting AI policies, but AI-assisted peer review is facing resistance and there are concerns that low-quality, AI-generated content could flood journals.   

However, with the current 14-month publication timeline for medical content seen as excessive, AI could help drastically reduce time-to-publication by improving editorial workflows, identifying suitable reviewers, and even assisting with the review process.  

The shifting role of AI in scientific communication  

AI can help to bridge the gap between researchers and clinicians, making medical information more accessible and digestible. It can also enhance HCP engagement by tailoring communication strategies based on AI-driven insights and creating personalized content, such as video summaries, audio discussions, and eye-catching graphical abstracts. 

A look to the future 

The medical publishing industry remains cautiously optimistic about AI. In the near future, we can expect agentic workflows (AI-driven automation with human oversight) to become the standard and for AI-written manuscripts to gain wider acceptance.  

We could also see greater use of AI in suggesting research topics and enabling guidelines to be continuously updated, rather than undergoing laborious manual updates.  

Significant challenges related to trust, accuracy, regulation, and workforce impact have to be navigated, but a major shift is expected over the next couple of years, particularly as publishers reevaluate AI-generated content policies and peer-review models.   

How Inizio Medical can help  

With vast medical expertise, proven processes, and proprietary technology, Inizio Medical can support your success at every stage of your AI journey. If you’re just starting out, we can help your organization lay the foundation by equipping your teams with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive. We also use a wide range of tools to help turn data into insights, create innovative, compliant content, and drive smarter decision-making. At the same time, we’ll provide support to help you navigate many of the challenges and issues AI presents for our industry. 

Discover more insights from the 2025 European Meeting of ISMPP here.