The AI in Business Podcast

Shefali Kakar, Global Head of PK Sciences and Oncology at Novartis, shares her insights on how AI is revolutionizing drug development. She discusses the use of in silico modeling to predict safety and efficacy before producing molecules. Shefali emphasizes the importance of strategic capital allocation through advanced modeling to optimize R&D investments. Additionally, she highlights challenges like fragmented data and urges companies to learn from past failures to refine their approaches. Her advocacy for a 'fail fast' ethos aims to enhance patient safety while streamlining drug development.

In this conversation, Umesh Rustogi, General Manager of Dragon for Nursing at Microsoft, shares insights on how to alleviate nurse burnout through ambient AI technology. He discusses the staggering impact of documentation on nursing time and the innovative features being developed to streamline workflows. Umesh highlights real-world applications, like mobile ambient recording and one-click note drafting, which enhance documentation quality and nurse-patient connections. He also predicts a future filled with agentic AI and frictionless interactions in healthcare settings.

Cody Barrow, CEO of EclecticIQ and leader in cybersecurity, discusses how AI-driven analytics are transforming threat detection and response. He highlights the challenges faced by regulated and mid-market sectors, including the risk of deepfakes and supply-chain vulnerabilities. Cody stresses the importance of organizational culture in enhancing security defenses and suggests practical measures like multi-factor authentication and active monitoring. He emphasizes knowing when to partner for security, particularly when facing multiple partners or high risks.

Dirk Michiels, CEO of Savaco and expert in hybrid cloud solutions, discusses the complexities mid-market organizations face in IT modernization. He delves into the misalignment between IT and business, emphasizing the importance of seamless integration. Dirk highlights how AI can drive transformational change rather than just incremental gains. He also talks about leveraging managed service providers to address skills gaps and the significance of aligning enterprise AI initiatives to avoid shadow AI. His insights promise a roadmap to faster innovation and improved ROI.

In this conversation, Meghna Punhani, Chief People Officer at Eightfold AI, shares her expertise on transforming HR through responsible AI adoption. She discusses the evolution of HR roles and how AI can enhance candidate screening and internal mobility. Meghna demystifies misconceptions about AI, emphasizing that it won't replace human judgment and empathy. She highlights the importance of curiosity and learning agility in the workforce, offering insights on ethical AI practices and how organizations can proactively leverage technology for growth.

Mathew Paruthickal, Global Head of Data Architecture, Utilization, and AI Engineering at Sanofi, shares insights on bridging structured and unstructured data in life sciences. He discusses a phased approach to integration, emphasizing the importance of governance from day one. Mathew highlights the need for human oversight in AI workflows due to ethics and patient safety. He also explains the significance of explainable AI and the inclusion of traceability and auditability. Practical applications like auto-extraction of safety reports showcase the potential of AI for continuous improvement.

Lauren Tulloch, Vice President at Copyright Clearance Center, shares her expertise on copyright risks in financial services amidst the rise of AI. She highlights how AI development can lead to unforeseen copyright liabilities for firms. Lauren emphasizes the importance of proactive copyright strategies to avoid litigation and regulatory issues. She underscores the need for integrating copyright into responsible AI frameworks and advocates for employee education and robust processes to manage these complex challenges effectively.

Suvaleena Paul, Assistant Vice President and Senior Analyst at Bank of America, dives into the evolving world of fraud prevention. She reveals how synthetic identities and AI-driven tactics are complicating detection. Suvaleena discusses their shift to rapid responses for real-time attacks, enhanced risk scoring techniques using biometrics, and innovative methods to reduce false positives through customer behavior clustering. She also elaborates on utilizing graph theory to unearth fraud networks and emphasizes the importance of tightly governed in-house AI systems.

Dr. Mark Kiel, Chief Science Officer and Founder at Genomenon, discusses how AI is revolutionizing genomic research and precision medicine. He explains the value of clinical literature as a source of real-world data for drug development and diagnostics. Mark highlights challenges in converting this data into actionable insights and introduces advanced AI techniques for prioritizing research. He emphasizes the importance of human curation in validating AI outputs and envisions a future where automated tasks streamline processes, especially for rare diseases.

In this engaging discussion, Deborah Golden, U.S. Chief Innovation Officer at Deloitte, shares her expertise in scaling AI responsibly. She highlights the barriers that often stall AI initiatives and emphasizes the need for a cultural shift in organizations. Deborah proposes innovative solutions like AI sandboxes and portfolio-based funding to create a vibrant ecosystem for experimentation. She also stresses the importance of psychological safety in failing intelligently and encourages leaders to rethink business models to unlock transformative AI use cases. This conversation is packed with actionable insights for enterprise leaders.