Artificial Intelligence is moving rapidly into pharmaceutical and MedTech supply chains. As its role expands, an important question is becoming increasingly relevant: what decisions can responsibly be delegated to AI systems, and under precisely what conditions?
Our new Industry Opinion Paper, “AI in Pharmaceutical & MedTech Supply Chains – From Capability to Accountability,” explores this question from the perspective of highly regulated healthcare supply chains, where decisions can affect product integrity, regulatory compliance and ultimately patient safety. The paper examines where AI can create practical value today, how its growing use changes the role of supply chain professionals, and why trust, explainability and accountability are essential for responsible adoption.
Many promising AI initiatives struggle when they move from pilots to enterprise-scale operations. The barriers are often not purely technological. Fragmented data and systems, organisational readiness, governance and compliance requirements, and coordination across multiple supply chain partners can all limit adoption.
To help organisations assess their readiness, the Industry Opinion Paper introduces a five-level maturity model. Progress through these levels depends on three interconnected pillars developing together: Technology & data, Human capability, Governance & compliance
The principle behind the model is straightforward: the authority delegated to AI should increase only when all three pillars are sufficiently mature to support and account for that autonomy.
This Industry Opinion Paper is the outcome of a Pharma.Aero collaborative project led by our strategic member MSD, with research conducted by three Master students from Antwerp Management School’s Master of Global Supply Chain programme.
Working with Master students brings a valuable additional dimension to industry projects. They contribute academic rigour, current research approaches and the freedom to question established assumptions. Industry experts provide the operational knowledge needed to test those ideas against the realities of regulated, interconnected pharmaceutical supply chains.
For emerging subjects such as AI, this combination is particularly valuable. It connects research with operational experience and creates space for new thinking without losing sight of practical constraints. The result illustrates the broader value of Pharma.Aero’s project model: bringing different parts of the ecosystem together to turn complex industry questions into practical knowledge that can be shared beyond the project group.
Frank Van Gelder, Secretary General, Pharma.Aero
This Industry Opinion Paper ultimately points towards a pragmatic approach to AI adoption. Its value for pharmaceutical and MedTech supply chains will depend on its ability to improve the reliability, traceability and resilience of supply chain decisions while preserving clear accountability.