At the PM Society Digital Interest Group (DIG), we set out to explore the role of AI in pharma marketing—not just by discussing it but by using AI to help write the very articles we were producing. This was far more than a writing exercise; it was an experiment in collaboration between human expertise and machine intelligence.
We had several questions that we wanted to answer:
(i) Could AI make the writing process faster?
(ii) Could it generate insightful, high-quality content?
(iii) Could it free up human writers to focus on creativity and strategy rather than mechanics?
The answer, as we discovered, was both yes and no. AI proved to be a powerful co-pilot, accelerating our workflow and helping us organise our thoughts. But it also had clear limitations, requiring careful human oversight to ensure accuracy, quality, and industry relevance.
This is the story of how we created our recent three-part AI-driven article series, what we learned on the journey, and what it could mean for the future of AI-assisted content creation.
The Challenge: A New Way to Write About AI
The DIG AI working group was tasked with writing a LinkedIn article series that would:
🔹 Demystify AIfor pharma marketers and highlight its relevance
🔹 Showcase real-world AI applicationsin pharmaceutical marketing
🔹 Provide strategic insights on AI adoption for industry professionals
Our intended audience consisted of senior marketers, digital transformation leaders, and pharma professionals—many of whom were interested in AI but unfamiliar with how to apply it in their day-to-day work.
Instead of simply writing about AI, we wanted to demonstrate its potential by incorporating AI into our writing process of the articles.
The goal was not to replace human writers but to explore how AI could enhance the efficiency and creativity of content development.
The Process: Merging AI with Human Insight
We designed a structured human-in-the-loop approach, balancing AI’s capabilities with human oversight at every stage:
- Planning & Research
- Defined our audience and objectives
- Reviewed past high-performing DIG articles to refine our tone and structure
2. AI-Assisted Drafting
- Recorded team discussions using Otter AI to capture key ideas
- Used a feature of ChatGPT that processes multiple documents and meeting transcripts within a single context window to generate structured outlines[
3. Human Review & Refinement
- Voted on AI-generated drafts, selecting the most effective versions
- Edited AI-generated content for clarity, accuracy, and engagement
4. Finalisation & Publication
- Applied final editorial refinements and published on LinkedIn
- Monitored engagement, feedback, and reader interactions
What Worked: The Benefits of AI in Writing
Using AI in the content creation process unlocked several advantages:
- Faster Drafting: AI contributed to an acceleration the writing process, producing structured first drafts in minutes rather than hours.
- Efficient Summarisation: AI condensed and transformed long brainstorming sessions into clear, actionable insights.
- Idea Generation: AI helped structure thoughts, refine arguments, and suggest alternative angles.
AI didn’t just save the group time—it enhanced our creative process, allowing us to focus on strategy, storytelling, and engagement rather than starting from scratch.
Where AI Fell Short: The Need for Human Oversight
While AI provided speed and structure, it also introduced challenges that required careful human intervention:
- Hallucinations & Misinformation: AI occasionally fabricated facts and sources, requiring rigorous fact-checking.
- Jargon & Context Issues: AI misinterpreted certain pharma-specific terms and concepts.
- Repetitive & Overly Optimistic Tone: AI’s default writing style tended to be generic, overly positive, and self-promotional, which needed substantial refinement.
While AI could create text, it lacked true understanding, meaning that human editors were essential to ensure accuracy, nuance, and relevance.
Lessons for the Future of AI-Assisted Writing
From this experiment in content created, we distilled four key lessons for any organisation looking to integrate AI into content creation:
- AI should be treated as a tool, not a replacement. Human oversight is essential for maintaining quality and creative control.
- Use AI strategically. It’s great for getting started, developing first drafts and structuring ideas, but not for final content.
- Fact-check rigorously. Never assume AI’s output is accurate—double-check everything including statements and references.
- Experiment and refine. The more we used AI, the better as a group we became at leveraging its strengths while compensating for its weaknesses.
Would We Do It Again? Absolutely.
- AI proved to be a valuable co-writer, enhancing efficiency, organisation, and creativity. However, human judgment, expertise, and storytelling remain irreplaceable.
- For pharma marketers, content creators, and industry professionals, AI offers an exciting opportunity to redefine how we both create and consume content.
- But AI isn’t magic. It won’t think for us—at least not yet.
- So, for anyone wondering whether AI can help their workflow, our advice is simple:
- Start small. Experiment. Refine your approach. AI won’t replace you, but someone who knows how to use AI effectively may do.
Contributing Authors:
David Logue, Partner, Life Sciences, Baringa Partners
Chris Finch, Vice President, Earthware Limited
Richard Lucas, Innovation Director at Tangent90
James Turnbull, Founder of Camino
Sam Pygall, Regional IT Lead @ MSD
Terry Levi, Founder, Embrace.AI for Pharma
*Generative AI was used as part of the process of creating this article, building on the strengths of human and AI collaboration.