Is pharma AI on the brink of an investment boom?

The pharma industry is seeing an increase in artificial intelligence (AI) investment across several key metrics, according to an analysis of GlobalData data. AI is gaining an increasing presence across multiple sectors, with top companies completing more AI deals, hiring for more AI roles and mentioning it more frequently in company reports at the start of 2021. GlobalData's thematic approach to sector activity seeks to group key company information on hiring, deals, patents and more by topic to see which companies are best placed to weather the disruptions coming to their industries. These themes, of which AI is one, are best thought of as "any issue that keeps a CEO awake at night", and by tracking them it becomes possible to ascertain which companies are leading the way on specific issues and which are dragging their heels. According to this method, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co are classed as dominant players in AI in the sector, with an additional 19 companies classified as leaders.