The post Investments in AI: Revolutionizing the Pharmaceutical Industry’s Future appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
By Ayelet Richter, Business Development Expert and AI Business Consultant
The technological and industrial revolutions have always worked hand in hand. The breakneck speed at which technology is evolving today is contributing to consistent breakthroughs, especially in the areas of health and finance. As innovators in the tech and healthcare space deftly navigate the complexities of transforming industries, the investment landscape also begins to shift. The obvious similarities between cryptocurrency and AI are opening the door for wild potential in the future and enhancing opportunities for investors.
Advancements and challenges in the AI revolution
While artificial intelligence (AI) is not a new discovery, its role in the healthcare space is novel. AI is revolutionizing spaces such as drug discovery and drug development, data collection and interpretation, and efficiency improvement in all areas of the pharma industry. AI-driven solutions are still in their relative infancy for healthcare applications, but their potential is already crystal clear concerning improving efficiency, reducing failure rates, and accelerating the time-to-market for new drugs.
Integrating AI technology into the pharma sector can be a complex undertaking, presenting several challenges for those on the front lines of AI innovation. Regulatory and compliance guidelines have not always kept pace with discovery, leading to unnecessary hurdles in the rollout of new drugs and processes. Data availability, quality, and security may be lacking. Pharmaceutical data is often fragmented across different institutions, creating accessibility barriers. Data privacy regulations like HIPAA and GDPR also limit the availability of real-world patient data for AI training. This is where blockchain technology can assist the emergence of effective AI in healthcare. By leveraging federated learning, AI models can be trained across decentralized data sources without compromising privacy.
Investment in AI models can also be met with skepticism. Many AI models function as black boxes, making it difficult for regulators and pharma executives to trust their recommendations. Lack of interpretability in AI-driven drug discovery models can create distrust in clinical and regulatory environments.
Cost is a significant barrier to AI implementation in healthcare. AI integration requires substantial investment in infrastructure, talent acquisition, and computational power. Training AI models on biomedical data is expensive and requires access to cloud computing resources, GPUs, and specialized algorithms. Pharma companies may hesitate to invest in AI without immediate financial returns. To combat this issue, many are turning to cost-effective AI-as-a-Service (AIaaS) models, allowing pharma companies to use AI solutions without massive upfront investment, exploring public-private partnerships, and grant funding to support AI-driven research in pharma, or leveraging pre-trained AI models and transfer learning techniques to reduce training costs.
Crypto investment and AI
With AI poised to redefine the healthcare landscape, it is no wonder cryptocurrency investors have a keen interest in the technology. The interwoven nature of blockchain technology and healthcare AI applications for security and efficiency appeals to the burgeoning crypto market. While overcoming the mentioned challenges in AI integration will be critical for market application success, catering to the investment interests of crypto investors will also be significant in the overall adoption of AI in the pharma space.
Advancements in AI in the pharma sector have led to an uptick in venture capital investment, strengthening the trust muscle of other interested parties, such as crypto investors. According to a recent study, 38% of new investment dollars allocated for healthcare are directed towards AI-enabled technologies. The validity of AI partnerships and the necessity of AI assistance in pharma development and discovery efficiency have driven investment. The convergence of AI and cryptocurrency is already emerging through crypto, such as AxonDAO ($AXGT) and Welshare Health ($WEL), creating opportunities for crypto investors to enter the space.
The currently available advancements of AI in the pharma sector are just the tip of the iceberg. Investors should be aware of the exponential growth potential in healthcare AI. As innovators navigate the myriad of hurdles on the pathway to full adoption — such as regulatory matters and investor skepticism — they continue to make welcomed advancements in the space. Crypto investors are likely to play a crucial role in the future adoption of AI in healthcare. As investor trust in AI in the pharma space b