Both are leading trends in the life sciences with the potential to transform the way companies conduct R&D and improve health outcomes. They’re also uniquely intertwined; progress in one could affect positive change for the other. 

Courtney Granville, director of scientific affairs at DIA, put it this way: “We have to have diversity in our datasets in order to really realize the power of AI.” At the same time, AI technology could also help clinical trial recruiters find more diverse pools of participants.

It’s clear the industry’s push to incorporate more AI processes into clinical trial operations will have real-world consequences on diversity initiatives, but pharma will need to work on both fronts in tandem, Granville argued. 

“There is a need to guide the entire industry around the level of transparency that's needed, and around how we can overcome bias in terms of the data,” she said. “Where we could have the largest impact in terms of regulatory guidance is understanding what's needed in terms of diversity.” 

Here, we’re looking at how the industry and regulators are dealing with these questions and other major clinical trial trends.