Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the most talked-about advancements of our time, sparking widespread discussion across industries. In the medical communications field, the conversation is particularly active, with ongoing debates about AI’s role in healthcare and how it can be leveraged responsibly. As the technology continues to evolve, its potential to enhance the medical communications work done by humans is becoming increasingly clear. While AI can be a powerful asset, it must be used responsibly - with human oversight, ethical considerations, and strict adherence to privacy regulations.
How artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the medical communications industry
It’s important to note that artificial intelligence is a catchall term for a computer or technology system performing a task that would typically be associated with human intelligence - so in practice, using AI can look drastically different depending on why you’re using it and what industry you’re in. In medical communications, we’re seeing AI’s impact in two key ways. First, reducing the burden of time-consuming deep research tasks such as literature reviews or medical writing such as literature reviews or medical writing. Second, we’re seeing machine learning improve the education of healthcare professionals, whether that be through patient simulators, research and data analysis, or adaptive learning platforms.
Despite only being made available to the mass market recently, we’re seeing AI tools result in increased efficiency content creation (such as scientific papers) and data analysis, enhanced personalization of medical education and patient communication, and rapid analysis and summarization of medical research. In essence, the use of AI has allowed professionals in the medical communications agency to transform their day-to-day work from burdensome and often time consuming tasks to focus on strategic thinking and the development of genuine human engagement and collaboration with HCPs and customers.
What artificial intelligence tools are being used in medical communications right now?
There are many tools and platforms enhanced with AI in 2025, but some have been proven to be most effective in the field of medical communications:
- Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools: Platforms like Semantic Scholar are often used to summarize large amounts of medical research.
- Generative tools: Platforms like Jasper AI or ChatGPT are often used to generate, review or edit medical writing.
- Data analysis tools: Platforms like BioGPT, which was developed by Microsoft, can be used to identify trends in medical research and literature while drawing on real-world evidence, case studies and papers.
What are the challenges of using artificial intelligence in medical communications?
Though AI has been transformative, it’s imperative that professionals in the medical communications industry be aware of the challenges, limitations and risks of using AI tools. Tools - like those listed above - should only be seen as supplementary to human work, strategy and analysis. AI is not all knowing, and it is the ethical responsibility of medcomms professionals to ensure that anything generated or reviewed by AI is accurate.
In addition, data privacy and security must be prioritized when using AI tools. Confidential information - such as patient data - should never be provided to any AI platform unless express consent has been provided by relevant parties. Ensure your work is compliant with privacy laws such as Canada’s PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act), HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) in the United States of America or GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) in the European Union.
Any work in the medical communications field should also continue to rely squarely on human expertise, knowledge, and critical thought in order to ensure the content or project generated from AI is accurate, nuanced, contextualized, and ethically sourced. AI tools are trained on data, which may lack diversity or perpetuate biases. As such, the content may reflect this. In short, AI should be used to support and enhance - and never replace - human professionals.
At CTC, we pride ourselves on being on the cutting edge of medical news, which is why we are committed to monitoring and utilizing AI-enhanced tools when necessary and appropriate. To stay up to date on the future of AI in medical communications, sign up for our newsletter! For doing so, we’ll plant 10 verified trees on your behalf, as part of our commitment to sustainability.
