Women, STEM, and AI in Pharma

The International Day of Women and Girls in Science celebrates its 10th anniversary on Feb. 11, 2025. This day recognizes the challenges of gender equality in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) that girls and women face (1). It also celebrates the progress made to combat the bias in these fields and the important contributions women have made in STEM-related industries, such as the bio/pharmaceutical industry.

One such area is the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing. Regulations in the use of AI in pharma have been rapidly advancing (2), and use of AI requires the assistance of experts in that technology (3). Women may offer unique perspectives in this developing area, specifically when it comes to a broader look at the impact of AI. “I believe AI is set to transform the pharmaceutical industry, and this is already taking place in many real-life use cases,” says Jean Redmond, chief operating officer (COO) at Biologit. “Women in STEM need to be intimately involved in the development and deployment of AI to ensure it is built ethically and representatively and in a fit-for-purpose way for problems that affect women.”

Redmond stresses that AI, and its potential use as a tool must be understood, and the perspective women bring must be heard. “Women in STEM need to provide their input to understand the unique problems and ensure appropriate and impactful application. For example, AI and automation is set to transform the landscape of clinical trials, an area in which women have been historically underrepresented. There is huge scope and opportunity here for women to play a key part,” says Redmond.

Data biases must also be addressed, continues Redmond, and AI models used in healthcare should be trained on relevant and diverse datasets. “In addition to gender diversity, it is also important to consider racial and age diversity and different stages of life, and ensuring the datasets are comprehensive and representative. Women can play a role in advocating for the ethical development of AI.”

Women’s ability to implement such technology-based change is a distinctive benefit, specifically in identifying opportunities to improve productivity, efficiency, and attention to detail, according to Michelle Bridenbaker, COO of Unbiased Science. “We instinctively perform risk assessments, for instance. In an AI context, these qualities are especially important because of the need to consider both the ethics of AI use and also the human impact of process automation. Although it sounds like a generalization, we also tend to be very open to sharing best practice, to collaborating, and to supporting others when they are unsure how to implement AI and technology effectively. Given the speed with which AI is advancing and changing, that’s vital.”

Emotional intelligence, creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving might be characteristics that women specifically contribute to the use of AI in pharma, remarks Agnes Cwienczek, director of Product Management at ArisGlobal. “While some of these are perhaps less directly relevant to defining and developing AI based solutions, they can be important to the implementation of those solutions within an organization,” says Cwienczek.

Be sure to visit PharmTech.com for more coverage of the 10th anniversary of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Our interview with Michelle Bridenbaker is available now (4).

References

1. UN. International Day of Women and Girls in Science, 11 February. UN.org (accessed Feb. 7, 2025) https://www.un.org/en/observances/women-and-girls-in-science-day/

2. Schmitt, S. Regulations in AI and Other Digital Technologies. Pharmaceutical Technology 2025 49 (1).

3. Thomas, F. and Haigney, S. Quality Considerations for Using AI in Bio/Pharma. PharmTech.com. July 24, 2024.

4. Haigney, S. International Day of Women and Girls in Science: Support and Empowerment. PharmTech.com. Feb. 10, 2025. https://www.pharmtech.com/view/international-day-of-women-and-girls-in-science-support-and-empowerment