Opinion: C-Suite Leaders Must Harness AI as a Partner and a Tool

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AI is changing the nature of leadership in biopharma. Here’s how executives can not only adapt, but lead the way.

As AI agents evolve from futuristic concepts to everyday tools, their impact on the biopharma industry is becoming undeniable. It’s not just operations and R&D that are changing; executive leadership itself is being redefined as technologies such as generative AI reshape the responsibilities, skills and mindset of today’s C-suite leaders.

As the global life sciences practice and research team leads at Accenture, we work with some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. From this vantage point, we see how the role of leadership is evolving rapidly in an industry facing growing pressure to be faster, more flexible and more patient-centric. As one executive said, “We are the last generation that will lead humans only. The future is a collaboration between humans and agents.”

The C-Suite, Rewired

AI is fast becoming a core driver of enterprise value in biopharma, streamlining regulatory review processes, enhancing drug discovery and transforming how clinical trials are conducted.

As we help executive teams navigate this transition, we keep returning to two critical questions: How will the core tasks of C-suite executives evolve as AI becomes more capable? And, what competencies will tomorrow’s leaders need to succeed in a more digital, fast-moving world?

To better understand these questions, we developed CEO AI agents or “twins,” that simulate the decision-making processes of real executives and provide us with valuable data on how leadership is evolving. Our findings were clear: with human oversight to validate outcomes, AI agents and tools are now automating or accelerating traditionally time-consuming responsibilities such as issue analysis, budget management and operational forecasting. These are knowledge-intensive, information-related tasks that include getting information, documenting and recording data, analyzing information and monitoring processes. In these types of tasks, automation enhances speed and precision.

But not all leadership functions can, or should, be automated. Setting vision, orchestrating strategy and aligning the enterprise require judgment, emotional intelligence and the ability to interpret context and ambiguity—qualities that remain uniquely human. Executives must stay firmly in control of decisions, even as the information-gathering process that underlies those decisions is reinvented. The outcome is not a diminished form of leadership but an elevated one: AI takes on the analytical burden, while executives double their focus on high-value activities. Leaders move from managing operations to orchestrating transformation at scale.

Skills That Define the Next-Gen Leader

We asked our CEO AI twins: What skills will your C-suite need to thrive in the years ahead? Their answers reflected what we’re seeing on the ground:

1. Lead Together, Not Alone. The complexity of biopharma today demands collective intelligence. Tomorrow’s leaders must excel at cross-functional collaboration, storytelling and trust-building in both physical and virtual teams. For example, fostering collaboration between R&D, regulatory affairs and commercial teams to accelerate drug development and market entry.

2. Speak Data, Think AI. Leaders don’t need to code, but they must be AI-literate—comfortable questioning models, understanding data inputs and using analytics to drive decisions across R&D, clinical operations and commercial strategy. This includes being able to interpret AI-generated insights and integrate them into strategic planning.

3. Be Fast and Stay Flexible. Strategic agility means not just reacting to change but anticipating it. Leaders must build adaptive structures, decentralize decision-making and anticipate disruption. For instance, we recommend creating agile project management frameworks that allow for rapid adjustments in response to new data or market trends.

A New Leadership Mindset

Adopting AI isn’t just a tech decision; it’s a leadership challenge. Organizations that thrive will be those that create the space for curiosity, experimentation and continuous learning. That means flattening hierarchies, encouraging failure as part of innovation and aligning incentives with adaptability. As the AI twin of one CEO put it: “Agility is about proactive preparation—not just reaction.”

The biggest shift we see is one of mindset. AI is a powerful catalyst, but only if leaders approach it with openness and a willingness to constantly evolve. There is no finish line—only the ability to reinvent in real time and build resilience.

Embrace AI not just as a tool, but as a partner in your leadership journey. Cultivate fluency in data, invest in your teams’ adaptability and push your organization to move faster, smarter and more boldly. Because the future of leadership in biopharma is already here.

Petra Jantzer is the global lead for Accenture life sciences.
Selen Karaca-Griffin is the global research lead for Accenture Products and life sciences.
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