After years of hype, AI value is finally emerging in pharma, ZS research shows

The nearly 40% pulling ahead share a common playbook, according to ZS's CDIO Outlook Survey.

EVANSTON, Ill., Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- For years, AI in pharma was defined more by potential than proof. That is beginning to change, according to new research from global management consulting and technology firm ZS. The firm's 2027 CDIO Outlook Survey found that nearly 40% of organizations now report measurable AI results across multiple business functions. Those seeing the strongest results are investing differently, building the data, governance and operating foundations needed to sustain AI value at scale.

Based on responses from pharmaceutical and biotechnology technology leaders, the survey suggests AI value is no longer theoretical, but scaling value remains a very different challenge. The 38% of organizations seeing the strongest results, referred to throughout the survey as AI value leaders, are pairing near-term wins with longer-term bets that can reshape how work gets done while investing in the foundations required to support both.

"The AI landscape is changing faster than ever, and pharma leaders are having to make smarter choices about where to place their bets," said Mahmood Majeed, principal and global head of ZS's digital and technology services area. "They're making intentional choices about where AI is used, how success is measured, how decisions are governed and how work is redesigned around new capabilities. That's what separates experimentation from enterprise value."

AI value is emerging on two timelines

Organizations are delivering value more quickly in structured operational functions such as:

• Enterprise IT (70% of respondents reported measurable outcomes in 2026, up from 49% in 2025)
• Supply chain and manufacturing (53%, up from 29%)
• Commercial sales and marketing (56%, up from 47%)

Meanwhile, scientific functions remain earlier in their AI value journey. This is particularly true for clinical and medical, both of which remained relatively flat year over year. That said, momentum is beginning to build; drug discovery saw one of the largest year-over-year increases in reported outcomes, rising to 35% from 17%.

What's driving AI success at scale?
Organizations reporting the strongest AI results are distinguished less by AI adoption and more by the systems they have in place to support it. According to the survey, data and technology specifically rank as barriers to scaling AI.

Nearly three quarters (72%) of value leaders put data for AI at the top of the list as mission-critical priorities for competitive differentiation, compared with 46% of other organizations. They are also nearly 1.5 times more likely to say they will significantly increase funding for data infrastructure and platform modernization in 2027.

Governance remains a critical gap
For many organizations, governance remains a plan rather than a practice. Fifty-five percent of organizations report defining or rolling out AI governance, yet only 17% say it is fully operational enterprisewide. Organizations leading the charge are embedding accountability, risk controls and human oversight directly into how AI is used.

As AI agents become a larger part of everyday work, success may depend less on access to AI technology and more on an organization's ability to build trust, operationalize governance and redesign work around human-AI collaboration.

Read the full 2027 ZS CDIO Outlook Survey.

About ZS
ZS is a management consulting and technology firm that partners with companies to improve life and how we live it. We transform ideas into impact by bringing together data, science, technology and human ingenuity to deliver better outcomes for all. Founded in 1983, ZS has more than 15,000 employees in over 40 offices worldwide. To learn more, visit ZS or follow ZS on LinkedIn.

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SOURCE ZS