Insights

I had a really interesting conversation this week with two AI engineers developing solutions for clinical research. Their goal was to tackle two of the industry's biggest challenges: site burden and patient engagement.

Here's my take: AI can solve operational challenges in clinical research, but it cannot solve the underlying drivers of patient engagement.

But sponsors and CROs still invest heavily in AI solutions targeting patient engagement because they often frame it as an operational problem: sites are overwhelmed, coordinators have limited time, and sponsors are looking for ways to automate tasks like identifying patients, pre-screening, scheduling follow-up calls, and answering routine questions. AI can certainly improve these workflows, reduce administrative burden, and help research teams operate more efficiently.

But operational efficiency and patient engagement are not the same thing. As I discussed in my first research brief, recruitment solutions create communication gaps between the moment a patient first learns about a trial and the moment they decide whether to participate. If AI simply becomes another layer between patients and the people caring for them, we risk widening that gap even further.

The root challenge isn't that sites don't have enough time for phone calls. It's that patients need trust, meaningful relationships, and something to engage with beyond their study visits.

Patients don't decide to participate in clinical research because someone contacted them faster or because an AI agent answered their questions in seconds. They decide because they trust the people behind the research. They want to feel understood, supported, and confident that someone genuinely cares about their experience. Those relationships are what encourage patients not only to enroll, but to remain engaged throughout a study.

That's why I don't believe replacing human interaction with AI will solve the engagement challenge. It may improve operational metrics, but it doesn't necessarily strengthen the human relationships that drive participation.

The opportunity, however, isn't to reject AI. It's to use AI where it creates more capacity for people to do what only people can do.

My experience in digital marketing and content creation has shown me that human connection doesn't always require being physically present. We've already seen this in consumer behavior. Millions of people build genuine trust with creators, brands, and communities through digital content. Authentic storytelling, education, and consistent communication can foster meaningful relationships at scale. Clinical research has an opportunity to do the same.

To me, that's where the future lies. Use AI to automate the operational work. Use people to build trust. The organizations that understand the difference won't just become more efficient, they'll become more human.