USA – Eli Lilly, a leading pharmaceutical company, has appointed Dr. Thomas Fuchs as its first Chief AI Officer.
Dr. Fuchs, who is currently the Dean and Department Chair for AI and Human Health at Mount Sinai, is renowned for his work in developing AI tools aimed at improving both patient outcomes and healthcare efficiency.
His new role at Eli Lilly will involve setting the strategic direction for the company’s AI initiatives, as well as overseeing and managing AI and machine learning projects across the organization.
A growing focus on AI in pharma
Pharmaceutical companies have increasingly recognized the potential of artificial intelligence to revolutionize drug discovery and healthcare processes.
Many have appointed AI-focused leaders to oversee their initiatives. Dr. Fuchs’ appointment comes on the heels of other industry moves, such as Pfizer naming Berta Rodriguez-Hervas as its Chief AI and Analytics Officer, and Merck appointing Walid Mehanna as Chief Data & AI Officer.
“The company has a longstanding commitment to AI, evident in our substantial investments in this area,” said Saskia Steinacker, Bayer’s Chief Digital Officer, earlier this year, reflecting the growing industry-wide commitment to AI.
AI’s expanding role in drug discovery
The announcement of Eli Lilly’s AI leadership appointment coincides with significant AI advancements in science.
Recent Nobel Prize winners Demis Hassabis and John Jumper, from Google DeepMind, were recognized for their AI models that predict protein structures.
Their groundbreaking AlphaFold Protein Structure Database has already been utilized by over two million scientists globally.
This kind of AI-driven innovation is revolutionizing drug discovery by accelerating target identification, molecular simulations, and the prediction of drug properties.
Dr. Fuchs has previously contributed to similar efforts at Mount Sinai, where he developed AI tools to enhance patient diagnoses and streamline healthcare administration.
In his new role, Fuchs will lead efforts to implement AI in drug discovery, clinical trials, manufacturing, and commercial functions.
“I have always focused on building machine learning systems to improve human health and patient care,” Fuchs stated in a LinkedIn post announcing his new position.
“We are just at the beginning of understanding what AI can do for drug development and healthcare.”
Industry-wide adoption of AI
The pharmaceutical industry’s embrace of AI extends beyond research and development. L1illy’s new AI leadership role will focus not only on drug discovery but also on clinical trials, manufacturing, and other internal business functions.
For example, companies like Moderna have integrated AI tools such as ChatGPT-like chatbots to streamline workflows, and Bayer is using AI to enhance marketing, sales forecasting, and business planning by leveraging historical data and complex datasets.
Challenges and Opportunities
Despite AI’s transformative potential, its application in drug development has faced some skepticism due to limitations in existing data and incomplete understanding of certain diseases.
However, the growing use of AI to accelerate early-stage drug development offers hope.
According to Morgan Stanley, even modest AI-driven improvements could result in the discovery of 50 new therapies over the next decade, translating into more than US $50 billion in new opportunities.
Although many AI-discovered molecules are still in early clinical trials, advancements such as GlaxoSmithKline’s partnership with Insilico Medicine—which received FDA approval for an AI-designed orphan drug—demonstrate that AI can push drug discovery forward.
