Back To Basics: Agentic AI And How It's Impacting Clinical Trial Research

Since ChatGPT’s launch in 2022, artificial intelligence has transformed industries worldwide—but the next evolution, Agentic AI, promises to be even more profound. According to NVIDIA, Agentic AI will reshape work as dramatically as the internet once did, ushering in AI systems capable of autonomous action, not just content generation. Unlike generative AI, which reacts to prompts, Agentic AI proactively analyzes data and initiates actions across complex workflows. Built on a digital ecosystem of large language models, machine learning, and natural language processing, Agentic AI enables true automation of multi-step processes with minimal human intervention. While it remains a form of narrow AI—focused on specialized tasks rather than broad human reasoning—its capacity for dynamic decision-making and workflow optimization represents a major leap forward.

In clinical research, Agentic AI is set up to drive advancements in site and safety monitoring, protocol setup, patient recruitment, data management, and regulatory submission preparation. It predicts risks, optimizes recruitment strategies, automates protocol validation, and enhances data integrity in real time. Agentic AI marks a turning point, shifting AI from a passive tool to an active collaborator, poised to accelerate the future of clinical trials and beyond.