AstraZeneca CEO says AI is reshaping drug development and helping boost the odds of success

AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot has said that artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping drug development and significantly improving the odds of clinical trial and drug approval success.

AI is now embedded "end-to-end" across AstraZeneca's value chain, from discovery and development through to commercial operations and healthcare delivery.

The company reports that its in‑house generative AI framework, Reinvent, has halved the time needed to identify promising molecular structures, while AI‑driven platforms are identifying more effective drug candidates and better‑predicting patient responses.

AstraZeneca has also trained over 17,000 employees in AI, and continues to acquire and partner with AI‑focused biotech firms such as Modella AI to de‑risk late‑stage oncology trials and accelerate precision medicines.

Overall, Soriot characterizes current AI impact as real and measurable, contributing directly to the company's goal of about 20 new medicines by 2030 and roughly $80 billion in revenue.