04-17-2026IMPACT COUNCIL

AI needs a reality check

How can you trust AI for healthcare if it’s never been tested in humans?

[Photo: Getty Images]

The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of top leaders and experts who pay dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership, and more.

AI companies love to make bold claims about healthcare. Alphabet’s Isomorphic tells us that “frontier AI can unlock deeper scientific insights, faster breakthroughs, and life-changing medicines.” Lila confidently markets its AI as a tool for “faster discovery for every field where breakthrough science matters.” And they’re spending as though they believe the hype. Anthropic recently acquired stealth startup Coefficient Bio for $400 million.

But there’s only one true test of any healthcare AI: Did it work in humans? Did it create a medicine that saved someone’s life?

And bluntly, most companies have not achieved that. Let’s look at the number of treatments brought to market. Isomorphic? None. Lila? The same. Marketing claims in AI rarely survive contact with reality.

That’s because making real progress in healthcare is hard.

To test a new treatment, you need to take it through a Phase 3 clinical trial. That’s typically 10 years and $2 billion. To test a diagnostic, you need to demonstrate clinical benefit, pass a rigorous third-party test, and build a full quality management system—before........

© Fast Company