Navigating AI’s Promise and Pitfalls in DTC Advertising
Marketers are racing to harness the transformative power of AI in DTC healthcare advertising, but they also recognize the need to do it responsibly. This podcast will guide you on how to do both.
As AI threats are becoming more sophisticated and privacy laws and AI regulations are rapidly evolving, the need for transparency and responsible practices has never been greater.
“AI is poised to have the impact that the internet had on changing pharmaceutical marketing,” said David Reim, senior director of audience data at IQVIA Digital. “From upfront planning to developing and activating audiences and measuring success, the continuum is ripe for improvement.”
Reim sees a big opportunity in the development of audiences for targeting.
“AI solves a lot of the privacy issues that pharma marketers have been worried about because of the state laws that are being passed,” he noted. Reim adds that the industry is experiencing a new privacy era, which began in 2018 with the passage of GDPR in Europe, then hit the States in 2020 with the passing of California’s Privacy Act.
“We’re up to 19 states that have consumer data privacy laws,” he reported.
That’s why it’s imperative to “create AI systems that are very defensible, very auditable and that solve more problems than they create,” emphasized Reim.
Focus on safety
“AI can be very effective at pulling out meaningful insights, but it has to be designed correctly with guardrails so it’s effective and safe,” stated Luk Arbuckle, global AI practice leader at IQVIA Applied AI Science.
Safety and accuracy have been key considerations for marketers.
“These concerns are valid,” noted Reim. “Defensible AI assumes that everything happens with 100% accuracy, but a lot of these systems are rife with errors, whether they’re being done by humans or other software.”
Arbuckle pointed out that while everyone wants to extract more meaningful insights with less data, there can be systemic risks that come with data access.
“In our space, we’re working with sensitive information, and the stakes are a lot higher,” he explained. “There’s a risk of exposure to unnecessary sensitive and personal information. We want to minimize those unnecessary data exposures and stay purpose-driven and focused on specific marketing goals.”
IQVIA Digital is rolling out a new solution to create consumer audiences for pharma marketing. It has built-in AI and privacy operations that offer a new level of machine-delivered audibility.
“It’s constantly being monitored by an independent agent and focuses on producing a report that defines everything that has gone into that particular audience,” said Arbuckle. “It’s highly automated to deliver a proof point that gives the marketer confidence.”
True defensible AI not only holds up to scrutiny from regulators, but also scrutiny from clients.
“We’re really talking about building out the governance around all of these systems, providing those guardrails and being transparent in terms of the practices that we’re using as well,” added Arbuckle.
Reim advised pharma marketers to make sure they fully understand what their partners are offering them in terms of risk security.
“Three things we emphasize are to be transparent, to be auditable and to be ethical,” he said. “With privacy laws and regulations, there can be no more black boxes. You need to be very clear in demonstrating that your AI systems are safe and secure.”
Marketers should also invest in educating themselves about AI technology.
“Don’t let any concept go past you, either in discussions with vendors or in articles you read,” Reim concluded. “If you don’t understand it, you’ve got to put the time in to learn about it. Ask the question, lead with curiosity.”
