Survey conducted with Open Pharma Research finds cultural barriers to AI are receding, while the need for greater collaboration and knowledge sharing to overcome data challenges persists

The Pistoia Alliance, a global, not-for-profit alliance that advocates for greater collaboration in life sciences R&D, has released the results of its annual Lab of the Future survey, conducted in partnership with Open Pharma Research. The survey of 200 experts spanning Europe, the Americas and APAC will be presented at the Lab of the Future Congress in Amsterdam on the 1st/2nd October. The research reveals that 68% of respondents are currently using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) in their work, an increase from 54% in 2023. AI and ML are also cited as the top tech investments planned over the next two years (62%), as companies focus less on infrastructure investments such as Cloud Platforms (37%), ELNs (23%) and LIMs (20%).

Barriers to utilizing experimental data are shifting from behavioral issues towards more content-related challenges. For example, inability to access data (59%) and unstructured data (54%), and lack of metadata standardization (48%) were cited as the biggest barriers. Meanwhile, only 35% cited cultural barriers and institutional resistance to data sharing, down from 48% in 2023. Content-related challenges are also impacting the adoption of AI, with low quality and poorly curated datasets cited as the number one barrier to AI implementation (52%), followed by data that does not adhere to FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles (38%). Privacy and security concerns around data were also raised by 41% of respondents, up from 34% in 2023, as well as the perception that AI is not trustworthy, reliable, or responsible (28%).

“The good news is that cultural barriers to AI adoption are falling as organizations realize the benefits of the technology for accelerating scientific innovation. But the survey shows a sizeable number of respondents are still facing data issues, and fresh concerns are arising around privacy and security, perhaps due to the ambiguities surrounding new legislation including the EU AI Act. The communal recognition of these challenges emphasizes the opportunity for the life sciences industry to work together and overcome these obstacles,” commented Dr Becky Upton, President of the Pistoia Alliance. “The Alliance’s forum and legal framework for pre-competitive collaboration and knowledge sharing is more important than ever for moving the industry forwards. We thank our members for their commitment to creating projects, resources and communities to support safe and effective AI use in the life sciences.”

“There has been an increase in respondents citing financial barriers to AI/ML adoption, from 14% in 2023 to 20% in 2024. Yet we can see that most organizations are still planning to invest in AI, which is a positive sign for R&D overall,” added Zahid Tharia, Pistoia Alliance Consultant and a Director of Open Pharma Research, organizers of the Lab of the Future Congress. “What’s important now is that the life science ecosystem comes together to share the work of developing technology so that everyone benefits. Which is why events such as the Congress and expert resources from the Pistoia Alliance’s Lab of The Future community are so needed.”

To tackle content-related challenges and make data FAIR at scale, respondents called out the need for more data governance frameworks (49%), templates for standardization and metadata (46%), and best practice guides and “how-to’s” (45%). There has been a marked increase in the number of respondents interested in the practical use of ontologies, with 51% identifying more maintenance and management of data standards and ontologies, compared to 42% in 2023, as a key tool to make data FAIR. Training is also seen as more important than previously with 29% of respondents asking for ontologies training (up from 18% in 2023) and 32% looking for education on FAIR data.

“The 14% increase in the use of AI in labs found in this year’s survey clearly shows that AI is being successfully delivered, but not having FAIR data with consistent metadata standards continues to be a challenge according to almost 40% of respondents. On the data sharing front, it’s encouraging to see that cross-lab collaboration is now less restricted by a lack of incentives, but there still seems to be a challenge around company standards or guidelines for data sharing and workflows to actually do it,” commented Christian Baber, Chief Portfolio Officer for the Pistoia Alliance. “The Alliance understands these concerns and is committed to developing projects and tangible resources to overcome the cross-industry hurdles identified by our members and survey respondents. From our network of semantic projects and new ontology training beginning in Autumn, to our FAIR and data governance communities that will help members navigate the intricacies of privacy, security and regulations, our mission is to continue to be the go-to organization where companies collaborate to deliver the benefits of data and technology across the global life science community.”

The full Lab of the Future report is available for free download.

About the Lab of the Future survey

The Pistoia Alliance and Open Pharma Research conducted an online survey of 200 participants from the global R&D community across Europe, the Americas and APAC, between May-August 2024. Respondents were from start-ups, pharma, biotech, software and service companies, academia and not-for-profit organizations; including R&D directors, lab managers, digital innovation, informatics and lab automation experts.

About Pistoia Alliance

The Pistoia Alliance is a global, not-for-profit members’ organization made up of life science companies, technology and service providers, publishers, and academic groups working to lower barriers to innovation in life science and healthcare R&D. It was conceived in 2007 and incorporated in 2009 by representatives of AstraZeneca, GSK, Novartis, and Pfizer who met at a conference in Pistoia, Italy. Its projects transform R&D through pre-competitive collaboration. It overcomes common R&D obstacles by identifying the root causes, developing standards and best practices, sharing pre-competitive data and knowledge, and implementing technology pilots. There are currently over 200 member companies; members collaborate on projects that generate significant value for the worldwide life sciences R&D community, using the Pistoia Alliance’s proven framework for open innovation.