Global GenAI study reveals optimism and opportunities for health care and life sciences

Data privacy and security are leading concerns in highly regulated industries

CARY, N.C., March 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Generative AI is at the forefront of global innovation in both health care and life sciences. To better understand how technology is being used, data and AI leader SAS and Coleman Parkes Research conducted a global, cross-industry survey of 237 life sciences and pharma leaders and 240 health care leaders who are decision makers on their organization's GenAI, data and analytics strategy.

The study offers a deep dive into how these sectors are implementing GenAI, what their biggest challenges are and how health care and life sciences compares to industries like insurance, the public sector, banking, manufacturing and more.

Health care leans into GenAI innovation

The GenAI research for the health care sector revealed that leaders can envision the technology's transformative ability and are optimistic about the potential for GenAI to support and complement the work of doctors, researchers and other health care professionals. More specifically:

• 46% of health care organizations currently use the technology, compared with 54% on average across all sectors.
• Within the health care industry, 95% of organizations are already using or have plans to adopt GenAI within the next two years.
• 87% of health care organizations plan to invest in GenAI in the next financial year and 92% of those investing have a dedicated GenAI budget for the next year.
• In organizations that have already integrated GenAI, the top measurable outcome is efficiency at processing large data sets (89%), followed by risk management and compliance measures (88%).

"The unique challenges and diverse functions of the health care sector demand special consideration to regulatory and compliance issues, data sensitivity, interoperability and bias in AI algorithms," said Alyssa Farrell, Global Health and Life Sciences Industry Marketing Director at SAS. "The adoption of GenAI in health care is projected to rapidly catch up as the industry addresses these concerns."

Access the full study and report findings for health care: Your journey to a GenAI future: A strategic path to success in health care.

Life sciences on the brink of GenAI-driven transformation

The GenAI research for life sciences and pharma found the industry is steadily embracing the technology. Leaders use the technology more regularly, are better prepared when it comes to GenAI usage policies, and an overwhelming majority plan to invest in it the next financial year. Specific findings include:

• 58% of life sciences organizations currently use the technology, compared with 54% on average in all sectors.
• Within the life sciences industry, 97% of organizations are already using or have plans to adopt GenAI.
• 85% of life sciences organizations plan to invest in GenAI in the next financial year and 92% of those investing have a dedicated GenAI budget for next year.
• 86% of life sciences organizations using GenAI report increased efficiency in processing large data sets and 79% have experienced operational cost and time savings with the technology.

"The life sciences sector is looking toward a GenAI future with strong rates of organizational use – and the budgets to back it up," said Farrell. "The technology's strengths in prediction and modeling suggest incredible potential to accelerate initiatives across the entire value chain, from R&D through clinical trials and commercialization. Leaders are feeling positive about what GenAI can do, particularly when it comes to innovating and maintaining a competitive advantage."

Access the full study and report findings for life sciences: Your journey to a GenAI future: A strategic path to success in life sciences and pharma.

Data privacy and security ranked as top concerns

As GenAI technology expands, issues of data privacy and security uniquely affect leaders in health care and life sciences. These industries deal with sensitive and high-stakes outcomes and face particularly significant ethical and regulatory considerations. The research revealed:

• Greater than three-quarters of leaders in life sciences (79%) and health care (77%) report they are uneasy about data privacy and security when it comes to using GenAI in their organization.
• 62% of health care organizations and 59% of life sciences organizations name governance as a leading concern for GenAI – higher percentages than almost all other industries.
• Only 14% of life sciences leaders and 9% of health care leaders say their organizations' current AI governance framework is well-established and comprehensive.

Synthetic data embraced for data challenges

Synthetic data is increasingly being used in the health care and life sciences industries to train and test AI systems in place of or in addition to real-world data. It also can augment data used to simulate patient workflows or supply chains. Synthetic data addresses data scarcity challenges by generating synthetic tabular data that statistically represents original training data without compromising sensitive patient health information.

The GenAI study revealed heightened openness to addressing data challenges – like data quality, scarcity and privacy scenarios – through synthetic data in both health care and pharma. Currently, 56% of life sciences organizations and 46% of health care entities are already using synthetic data or actively considering doing so. 

"Data is the lifeblood of the digital health ecosystem. Continued investment in interoperability and data governance is key to provide the fuel for a GenAI future," said Farrell. "Incorporating synthetic data and technology, such as digital twins, is yet another way to derive more value from data for the benefit of patients and population health outcomes."

Explore SAS data and AI innovation

Register for SAS Innovate, May 6 – 9 in Orlando, to learn more about SAS data and AI innovations for the health care and life sciences industries. Check out the full agenda with industry and tech specific session information here: https://www.sas.com/en/events/sas-innovate/agenda.html.

Learn more about SAS' analytics and AI solutions for health care (sas.com/healthcare) and life sciences (sas.com/lifesciences).

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