The Biorevolution Podcast

The biorevolution podcast #35

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New tech, new talent, new challenges – pharma leadership in the age of AI

Despite great hopes for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in biotech and pharma—with investments exceeding $50 billion over the past ten years—the question of when the technology will reach maturity remains difficult to answer. How can biotech and pharma leaders navigate this complex gray area, where hype around the technology obscures the outlook and few concrete milestones provide clear signposts for decision-making?

In this episode of the BioRevolution podcast, Louise von Stechow and Andreas Horchler speak with their guest, idalab founder Paul von Bünau, about the potential of AI in biotech. They explore how leaders can adapt internal processes, support their teams in facing the challenges AI brings, and examine whether AI has the potential to make us better leaders.

Find Dr. Paul von Bünau here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulvonbuenau/

and idalab here: https://idalab.de/

Disclaimer:

Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast.

Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here:

scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/
Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/
Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow

Image: Matteo Vistocco via Unsplash

References:

  1. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/life-sciences/our-insights/how-artificial-intelligence-can-power-clinical-development
  2. https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/ai-drugs-so-far
  3. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/life-sciences/our-insights/scaling-gen-ai-in-the-life-sciences-industry
  4. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/03/ai-healthcare-strategy-speed/
  5. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2023/01/17/achieving-next-level-value-from-ai-by-focusing-on-the-operational-side-of-machine-learning/
  6. https://endpts.com/the-endpoints-slack-interview-siddhartha-mukherjee-on-the-doctor-writer-worldview-ai-and-the-future-of-cancer/
  7. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/life-sciences/our-insights/gen-ai-a-game-changer-for-biopharma-operations
  8. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2024/11/28/ai-wont-replace-humans--heres-the-surprising-reason-why/
  9. https://hbr.org/2024/05/ais-trust-problem
  10. https://metr.org/blog/2024-11-22-evaluating-r-d-capabilities-of-llms/
  11. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/superagency-in-the-workplace-empowering-people-to-unlock-ais-full-potential-at-work
  12. https://www.stifterverband.org/sites/default/files/2025-01/ki-kompetenzenindeutschen_unternehmen.pdf
  13. https://hbr.org/2024/06/how-ai-can-make-make-us-better-leaders
  14. https://www.kearney.com/service/digital-analytics/article/leadership-in-the-age-of-ai
  15. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/uploads/prod/2025/01/lee2025aicriticalthinking_survey.pdf?ref=404media.co
  16. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2025/01/16/5-ways-leaders-can-use-ai-to-level-up-in-2025/
  17. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbescoachescouncil/2024/11/25/riding-the-ai-wave-how-leaders-can-adapt-and-thrive/
  18. https://www.wired.com/2016/03/two-moves-alphago-lee-sedol-redefined-future/
    19. 19.
    ttps://www.forbes.com/sites/karadennison/2023/03/14/the-impact-of-artificial-intelligence-on-leadership-how-to-leverage-ai-to-improve-decision-making/
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    The Biorevolution PodcastBy Louise von Stechow