The Pistoia Alliance has released the results of its annual Lab of the Future survey, conducted in partnership with Open Pharma Research. The survey of 200 experts spanning Europe, the Americas and APAC was presented at the Lab of the Future Congress in Amsterdam from 1-2 October 2024.   

The research reveals that 68% of respondents are currently using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in their work, an increase from 54% in 2023. AI and ML are also cited as the top tech investments planned over the next two years (62%), as companies focus less on infrastructure investments such as Cloud Platforms (37%), ELNs (23%) and LIMs (20%). 

Barriers to utilising experimental data are shifting from behavioural issues towards more content-related challenges. For example, inability to access data (59%) and unstructured data (54%), and lack of metadata standardisation (48%) were cited as the biggest barriers. Meanwhile, only 35% cited cultural barriers and institutional resistance to data sharing, down from 48% in 2023. 

Content-related challenges are also impacting the adoption of AI, with low quality and poorly curated datasets cited as the number one barrier to AI implementation (52%), followed by data that does not adhere to FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles (38%). Privacy and security concerns around data were also raised by 41% of respondents, up from 34% in 2023, as well as the perception that AI is not trustworthy, reliable, or responsible (28%). 

Official commentary 

“The good news is that cultural barriers to AI adoption are falling as organisations realise the benefits of the technology for accelerating scientific innovation. But the survey shows a sizeable number of respondents are still facing data issues, and fresh concerns are arising around privacy and security, perhaps due to the ambiguities surrounding new legislation including the EU AI Act. The communal recognition of these challenges emphasises the opportunity for the life sciences industry to work together and overcome these obstacles,” commented Dr Becky Upton, President of the Pistoia Alliance. “The Alliance’s forum and legal framework for pre-competitive collaboration and knowledge sharing is more important than ever for moving the industry forwards. We thank our members for their commitment to creating projects, resources and communities to support safe and effective AI use in the life sciences.”   

“There has been an increase in respondents citing financial barriers to AI/ML adoption, from 14% in 2023 to 20% in 2024. Yet we can see that most organisations are still planning to invest in AI, which is a positive sign for R&D overall,” added Zahid Tharia, Pistoia Alliance Consultant and a Director of Open Pharma Research, organisers of the Lab of the Future Congress. “What’s important now is that the life science ecosystem comes together to share the work of developing technology so that everyone benefits. Which is why events such as the Congress and expert resources from the Pistoia Alliance’s Lab of The Future community are so needed.” 

To tackle content-related challenges and make data FAIR at scale, respondents called out the need for more data governance frameworks (49%), templates for standardisation and metadata (46%), and best practice guides and “how-to’s” (45%). There has been a marked increase in the number of respondents interested in the practical use of ontologies, with 51% identifying more maintenance and management of data standards and ontologies, compared to 42% in 2023, as a key tool to make data FAIR. Training is also seen as more important than previously with 29% of respondents asking for ontologies training (up from 18% in 2023) and 32% looking for education on FAIR data.  

“The 14% increase in the use of AI in labs found in this year’s survey clearly shows that AI is being successfully delivered, but not having FAIR data with consistent metadata standards continues to be a challenge according to almost 40% of respondents. On the data sharing front, it’s encouraging to see that cross-lab collaboration is now less restricted by a lack of incentives, but there still seems to be a challenge around company standards or guidelines for data sharing and workflows to actually do it,” commented Christian Baber, Chief Portfolio Officer for the Pistoia Alliance. 

“The Alliance understands these concerns and is committed to developing projects and tangible resources to overcome the cross-industry hurdles identified by our members and survey respondents. From our network of semantic projects and new ontology training beginning in autumn, to our FAIR and data governance communities that will help members navigate the intricacies of privacy, security and regulations, our mission is to continue to be the go-to organisation where companies collaborate to deliver the benefits of data and technology across the global life science community.” 

Megan Thomas, Multimedia Editor, DDW