The results of a new study show AI/ML investment jumping after three flat years, with three quarters (76%) of respondents planning to increase spending on technology in the next two years, up from 60% in 2023, 62% in 2024, and 63% in 2025. 

However, the leading barrier to digital transformation in the lab has shifted, with a lack of clear prioritisation and leadership support now labs’ single biggest obstacle. 

The Lab of the Future survey was conducted by the Pistoia Alliance, a global, not-for-profit alliance that advocates for greater collaboration in life sciences R&D. 

“After three years where AI investment barely moved, this year’s leap is a clear signal that labs are now ready to act, not just plan,” commented Dr Becky Upton, President of the Pistoia Alliance. “But investment alone doesn’t guarantee transformation or results. A peer-reviewed study of pharma AI use cases the Alliance published this year found that an organisation’s maturity and leadership commitment matter more to success than the model or dataset used.” 

The data also show that resistance hesitancy toward change among lab staff eased slightly, from 43% to 37%, while budget limitations (only tracked since 2025) rose from 29% to 41%. 

These data are echoed by external research. A Pistoia Alliance-backed study published in the Journal of Computer-Aided Molecular Design found that business success tracks organisational maturity and leadership support more closely than the AI model or data source involved. 

“The barrier to AI success hasn’t disappeared, it’s simply moved from technical capacity to capacity for change,” commented Dr Christian Baber, Chief Portfolio Officer at the Pistoia Alliance. “The message from our members is that visible and consistent leadership sponsorship all the way down the line, not just passive endorsement, is what actually moves projects forward.”