The Biggest AI Wins May Still Lie Ahead for Life Sciences Companies
New research from Infosys reveals that while the life sciences industry is typically slow to adopt new technologies, companies are pulling ahead in extracting business value from artificial intelligence, according to the AI Business Value Radar: Life Sciences Edition, published by the Infosys Knowledge Institute (IKI). Among nearly 4,000 business leaders surveyed globally, 65 percent of life sciences AI use cases are delivering on some or all business objectives and far surpassing the cross-industry average of 50 percent.
AI's rising ROI in life sciences marks a sharp pivot from previous hesitance. Last year Infosys’ industry journal, Life Sciences: Trends for the Future, reported that most companies in the sector were still approaching generative AI cautiously. But the latest data shows a significant shift: life sciences is now among the top three industries for achieving AI business value, with notably fewer canceled projects and fewer pilots stuck in the sandbox phase.
Where AI excels today — and where it still struggles
The report identifies top-performing AI use cases in life sciences, including clinical trial optimization, regulatory documentation and diagnostic imaging. AI for image and voice processing ranked among the top ten most viable use cases across all industries.
But AI for drug discovery, arguably the sector’s most mission-critical challenge, has yet to deliver consistent business value. Despite its popularity as a use case, survey respondents rated it as underperforming relative to expectations. Yet optimism is growing. Chapter Two of the Life Sciences: Journal outlines how generative AI is poised to unlock ROI in areas like digital therapeutics, while the Radar report highlights progress in areas such as protein sequencing and AI agents designed to work across drug development platforms.
Training and transformation as key levers for growth
Even as life sciences leads in AI outcomes, it lags in AI workforce readiness. Only 16 percent of surveyed companies qualified as “Trailblazers” - the most advanced tier for employee preparedness. The report estimates a 19–21 percent improvement in business value is possible simply by moving up to this top tier. This is a critical opportunity for an industry already grappling with labor shortages and a wave of retirements.
Meanwhile, the data shows that AI success consistently correlates with investment in digital transformation and operating model redesign, underscoring the need for ongoing structural change, not just tactical use case deployment.
Life sciences companies are proving that AI delivers real value, but they’re just getting started. With sustained investment in workforce training, data infrastructure and next-gen tools like AI agents, the sector is positioned to move from being a high-performing adopter to a full-spectrum AI innovator.
