How to Start Using AI in Your Role Today: A Field Guide for Drug Development Professionals
Why Starting Small Matters
Perfectionism is the enemy of progress.
Many drug development professionals delay getting started with AI because they think they need advanced technical skills, formal programs, or leadership mandates. But in reality, small steps—trying a prompt, experimenting with a tool, reflecting on a result—compound quickly.
If you’re just starting, focus on curiosity over expertise.
If you’re already using AI, look for ways to scale, teach, or optimize.
Everyone has a next step.
AI Use Cases by Function (for All Levels)
Here’s how professionals across functions can start or scale their AI usage — with examples for both beginners and more advanced users:
Clinical Operations
Beginner: Summarize a site visit report to share highlights with your team
Advanced: Extract themes across 20+ reports to identify monitoring trends and quality issues
Regulatory Affairs
Beginner: Draft a professional response to a health authority question
Advanced: Convert a 50-page briefing document into a structured question–response matrix
Biometrics
Beginner: Use AI to explain a complex table or figure in plain language
Advanced: Build prompt chains to assist in QC logic review or SAS script generation
Translational Medicine & Clinical Science
Beginner: Summarize key findings from a new publication
Advanced: Create a literature scan matrix tagged by biomarker, pathway, and mechanism
Tools You Can Use Right Now
No licenses? No problem. Here’s a mix of open-access and enterprise tools:
ChatGPT / Claude.ai – Prompt-based productivity (great for summarizing, drafting, QA)
Perplexity.ai – Combines search + citations (ideal for staying current)
Scite / SciSpace – Tailored for literature review
Microsoft Copilot / Google Gemini – Embedded in Office/Docs (perfect for daily work)
Enterprise tools (if available): ChatGPT Enterprise, Biogen’s Copilot, Sanofi’s AI Studio, etc.
Prompts That Work (Try These Now)
For Beginners:
“Summarize this protocol in 5 bullet points.”
“Draft a professional email requesting a document.”
“Explain what this graph shows in plain English.”
For Experienced Users:
“Compare and contrast efficacy endpoints across these three trials.”
“Act as a regulatory reviewer. What concerns might you raise from this IB?”
“Cluster protocol deviations and suggest potential root causes.”
For Everyone:
When summarizing or building detailed documents be sure to ask the AI if it has any unanswered questions. I have found this to greatly improve my output regardless of the tool.
How to Stay Compliant (For Everyone)
Regardless of experience, these guardrails apply:
No confidential or patient data in public tools
GxP tasks = Human Oversight Required
You own the output. Always review and edit before use
Document your process when using AI in regulated workflows
If you’re unsure, treat AI as a thinking partner, not a final decision-maker.
Final Thought
Whether you’re just dipping your toe in—or already building workflows—you’re part of a new frontier. Let’s embrace it together!