Smart Assistants: The Quiet Revolution in Pharma Field Engagement

In every boardroom the question is the same: “How do we do more with less - without falling foul of regulation?”

 

 

 

Pharmaceutical leaders face mounting pressures. Access to healthcare professionals is tightening, budgets are constrained, and compliance risks loom large. Traditional field-force models are under strain. What is needed now is not a tweak, but a rethink of how reps prepare, engage, and learn from every interaction.

 

Enter the smart assistant: not another dashboard (!), but a discreet, AI-enabled companion at every rep’s side. It surfaces evidence in real time, ensures message discipline, and captures insights without adding administrative load.

 

 

 

Efficiency with Impact

 

 

• McKinsey estimates generative AI could unlock £60-£90 billion in annual value across life sciences, with £15-£25 billion tied to commercial functions such as field engagement¹.
• Deloitte pilots report strong productivity uplifts as AI tools streamline content access and follow-up execution².
• Veeva Pulse data shows content-driven interactions can more than double treatment starts, shorten call cadences by up to 25%, and boost follow-ups by 20%³.
• IQVIA findings indicate that combining digital tools with in-person visits can raise prescription rates by around 20%⁴.

 

 

These are not marginal gains. They represent a capability shift: freeing up reps to do what they do best while driving measurable outcomes.

 

 

 

Compliance: From Risk to Governance Advantage

 

 

Regulatory bodies are vigilant. The PMCPA in the UK continues to sanction misleading materials, while the FDA’s OPDP remains active in enforcement. Meanwhile, EDPB guidance makes clear that even ephemeral voice processing counts as personal data, requiring lawful basis, transparency, and minimisation⁵. The ICO’s framework on AI reinforces these expectations⁶.

 

 

Here is the opportunity: independent studies suggest AI can significantly improve compliance accuracy, in some cases doubling it. Detection rates can rise from around 40% to over 80%⁷. That is compliance built into workflow, not retrofitted — a move from costly policing to proactive governance.

 

 

 

Competitive Edge at Scale

 

 

Competitive advantage in pharma now depends on execution, not just product. When pre-launch medical education is combined with digital tools powered by AI, industry benchmarking shows a notable uplift in adoption rates⁸.

 

 

 

Smart assistants ensure consistent messaging, coach reps subtly, and elevate every HCP interaction. They make precision possible at scale without expanding headcount.

 

 

 

Imagine the Field Call of Tomorrow

 

 

Picture a representative in front of an HCP. With a simple voice request, they pull the latest clinical data into view. On smart glasses such as the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, already in market⁹, that data could appear instantly on a linked tablet. Oakley¹⁰ and Xiaomi  have already launched rival models this year, proving this is no longer hypothetical.

 

 

But here is the critical point: pharma need not wait for wearables. Even without glasses, this kind of interaction is already possible today through a voice assistant active on the call.

 

 

The AI can also analyse the conversation in real time, tracking keywords to guide the discussion towards approved points. In cases where no recording is stored, consent may not be required — though this must always be verified against regulation.

 

 

Alternatively, with consent, the session can be recorded, enabling deeper analysis of nuances such as tone, pacing, and mood in the representative’s dialogue with the doctor. From there, solutions from the AVA COSMART Suite step in: AVA RepCopilot can assess compliance with strategy in real time, while the AVA ML Module aggregates insights and emerging trends across interactions.

 

 

What was once anecdotal becomes measurable. What was once fragmented becomes a learning system at scale.

 

 

 

The Leadership Imperative

 

 

Every sales enablement and commercial excellence conference now has AI at its centre. Panels, workshops, and keynotes repeat the same refrain: AI is no longer optional, it is the operating reality. Boards do not need to be persuaded that AI is here. They need clarity on where it delivers value, where it mitigates risk, and where it creates genuine competitive advantage.

 

 

Wherever your organisation sits on the maturity curve, whether just starting with voice-enabled tools or already piloting wearables, the struggle is the same. Every leader can picture their reps in this scenario. The question is whether you will equip them with the tools to turn that struggle into advantage.

 

 

 

Vivanti’s AVA COSMART SUITE

 

 

 

 

Our AVA COSMART Suite, which includes AVA RepCopilot and the AVA ML Module, embodies these principles. It makes field engagement sharper, compliant, and insight driven.

 

 

The quiet revolution is already underway. The leaders will be those who act now.

 

 

 

References:

1. McKinsey & Company - Early adoption of generative AI in commercial life sciences (May 2024) https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/life-sciences/our-insights/early-adoption-of-generative-ai-in-commercial-life-sciences 
2.  Deloitte - AI in pharma commercial operations: field force productivity case studies (2024) https://www2.deloitte.com/insights/us/en/industry/life-sciences/ai-in-pharma-commercial-operations.html
3. Veeva Systems - Veeva Pulse report: content-driven engagement more than doubles treatment adoption (May 2025) https://www.veeva.com/resources/veeva-pulse-report-finds-content-driven-engagement-lags-despite-proven-boost-to-treatment-adoption
4. IQVIA - Digital engagement solutions: impact on prescription rates (2023) https://www.iqviadigital.com/solutions/engagement
5. European Data Protection Board (EDPB) - Guidelines on processing of personal data in the context of voice and sound (2024) https://edpb.europa.eu/system/files/2024-03/edpb_guidelines_voiceprocessing_en.pdf
6. UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) - AI and data protection guidance (2024) https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/ai/
7. arXiv - Compliance accuracy improvements with AI models (2024) https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.17289
8. Veeva Systems - Field trends report: pre-launch education impact (2025) https://www.veeva.com/resources/veeva-pulse-field-trends-report
9. Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses - Official product page https://www.ray-ban.com/usa/discover-ray-ban-meta-ai-glasses/clp
10. Meta Newsroom - Oakley Meta Smart Glasses announcement (June 2025) https://about.fb.com/news/2025/06/introducing-oakley-meta-glasses-a-new-category-of-performance-ai-glasses
11. Android Central - Xiaomi AI Glasses launch coverage (June 2025) https://www.androidcentral.com/gaming/virtual-reality/xiaomis-new-ai-glasses-are-already-giving-ray-ban-metas-a-serious-beatdown