IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Life Sciences 2025 Predictions
This IDC study discusses the top 10 predictions for worldwide life sciences for 2025."Last year, we saw the borders blurring between life sciences and healthcare, with the growth of decentralized clinical trials and care anywhere models, and with clinical trials gradually emerging as a care option within the healthcare system. This year we are starting to see the borders beginning to blur between intelligence, artificial intelligence, and generative artificial intelligence, between treating a real patient and working on a virtual one, a human digital twin. From the ability to chat with your database to instantly identify the right cohort of patients, to the ability of GenAI to bring empathy into a conversation when addressing patient queries, we are entering a new world. A new world for the life sciences industry, that both raises concerns but holds immense promise. It will be essential for an ethical compass to drive AI strategy in the life sciences industry, keeping the human-in-the-loop at all times. Inclusiveness and representativeness will be foundational to driving adoption of these AI strategies," says Dr. Nimita Limaye, research VP, Life Sciences R&D Strategy and Technology at IDC Health Insights.
IDC FutureScape Figure
Executive Summary
IDC FutureScape Predictions
Summary of External Drivers
Predictions: Impact on Technology Buyers
Prediction 1: By 2025, 50% of Life Sciences Firms with Cohesive Data Strategies Mitigating Data Debt, Data Quality, and Sovereignty Issues to Support GenAI Will Achieve 30% Faster Time to Market than Those Without
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Patient Impact
Guidance
Prediction 2: By 2026, 75% of Pharmas Will Have Established AI Ethics Boards, Including Digital Ethicists, Legal/Regulatory Experts, and Patients, to Build Responsible AI Frameworks and Design Ethical AI Solutions
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Patient Impact
Guidance
Prediction 3: By the End of 2026, 75% of Big Pharmas and Biotechs Will Leverage AI-Enabled Radiology and Pathology Solutions to Fuel R&D, Powered by Innovative Medical Device Companies and Global CROs
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Patient Impact
Guidance
Prediction 4: By 2027, GenAI Will Power 65% of Drug Discovery and 85% of Both R&D Content Development and Sales and Marketing Initiatives in Pharma, Supported by Evolving Regulations and Focused Investments
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Patient Impact
Guidance
Prediction 5: By 2027, at Least 50% of HCPs in Complex Medical Specialties Will Forgo GenAI-Based Drug Prescription Suggestions About Concerns About Training Content Source Transparency and Patient Anxiety
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Patient Impact
Guidance
Prediction 6: By 2027, 70% of Medical Device Firms Will Form Deeper Alliances with AI-Driven Cybersecurity Vendors, Fueled by the Evolving Demand for End-to-End Security and Patient Safety by Design in Healthcare
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Patient Impact
Guidance
Prediction 7: By 2028, 100% of Pharma and Medical Device Firms Will Adopt Digital Strategies to Manifest Environmental Stewardship and Apply Ecodesign and Green Chemistry Principles to R&D Processes and Products
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Patient Impact
Guidance
Prediction 8: Investments in Synthetic Data by Pharma Will Triple by 2029 to Train Foundation Models, Transform Clinical Trial Design, Accelerate R&D Innovation, and Fuel Growth
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Patient Impact
Guidance
Prediction 9: By the End of 2029, 40% of Cell and Gene Therapy Firms Will Embed Manufacturing Capabilities in Hospitals, Shortening Supply Chains and Improving Patient Access to Treatment Centers and Labs
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Patient Impact
Guidance
Prediction 10: By 2030, 30% of Life Sciences Firms Will Scale from Digital Twins of Entities to Digital Twins of Humans, Moving from Egosystems to Ecosystems, Scaling the Growth of Safer Precision Therapies by 50%
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Patient Impact
Guidance
Advice for Technology Buyers
External Drivers: Details
AI-Driven Business Models — Moving from AI Experimentation to Monetization
The Drive to Automate — Toward a Data-Driven Future
AI-Driven Workplace Transformation — Building Tomorrow's Workforce Today
Regulatory Flux — Navigating Compliance Challenges in a Shifting Policy Landscape
Expanding Digital Security Frontiers — Fortification Against Multiplying Threats
Responsible and Human-Centric Technology — Ethics in the Enterprise
Customer Experience Squared — Consumer and Citizen Expectations for Digital Services
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