Artificial Intelligence’s impact within Regulatory Affairs
From the conversations we had with regulatory affairs professionals this year at DIA Europe, it’s clear the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) is making a lot of veterans of the industry consider the cultural and technological changes this may have to the future of regulatory affairs. Real Staffing’s Regulatory Affairs consultant, Emini Jaggan explains how these developments are changing the future of the industry.
How technology has affected regulatory affairs professionals
Regulatory affairs professionals have admitted to being typically adverse to change within their work culture but, with the outcomes of AI development still unknown, many are understanding the need to adapt to the future of this technology.
After speaking to regulatory affairs professionals at the 2018 DIA Europe event, many people feel the development of AI is having the same impact on the industry as the internet when it was first introduced. As a result, a lot of professionals are making an effort to understand how these changes will help support their work.
How artificial intelligence has started to impact healthcare
The biggest worry of AI is that it could potentially take human jobs. However the reality is it’s more likely to eliminate tasks as opposed to jobs, and will help support people in their role, perhaps even allowing them to expand their responsibilities. One potential outcome could be AI assisting by diagnosing patients that don’t display serious health issues. This would tackle the problem of GPs not having enough time to see patients.
Currently the most successful use of AI in regulatory affairs is in the use of writing regulatory documents to smart objects that can censor sensitive data in publications. This is based on AI being able to automatically interpret sensitive data when developing output reports. Emini Jaggan, Associate Recruitment Consultant at Real Staffing, explains, “Artificial intelligence will be a key development within the regulatory affairs industry, with the automation of electronic submissions and document management systems it will negate the need for consultants due to the capabilities of AI.”
The potential future outcomes of artificial intelligence in regulatory affairs
Given the way AI is currently being used, in the future it’s likely to be used to understand data inputs and construct full study reports. The development of AI could help create more jobs, especially in contract roles.
Due to the nature of the industry, with regulatory affairs being responsible as one of the first processes in a drug lifecycle, something that may be approved at the initial stage could change years later due to the effects of AI. This could create jobs for contractors to work within audits or to manage the data collated by AI. Alternatively, some Regulatory Affairs professionals believe that the industry might have to become more fluid to adapt to the potential changes in AI.
How have the developments in Regulatory Affairs impacted the industry for you? Are you looking for a new role where you can work alongside these developments? Get in touch with our market research team to find out more.
