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For Biopharma in an AI-Driven World, Thought Leadership is the New Power Currency

June 12, 2025

When Search is Guided by Large Language Models, Silence Speaks Loudest. Strategic Thought Leadership is the Antidote.

Against the backdrop of a shifting health policy landscape, expressing leadership, vision and purpose has never been more important for health-sector innovators. But the rules of engagement have shifted. With large language models (LLMs) and GenAI engines ingesting, reformulating and sharing back masses of data by the moment, the simple act of communicating (and controlling) original content has become a transformative, mission-critical activity.

For leaders in the biopharma space, there is new urgency in disseminating a clear viewpoint. That’s because, thanks to GenAI and LLMs, perspectives reach far beyond the podium or page to become fodder for AI-assisted queries – the results of which are increasingly the building blocks of societal thought, belief and understanding. Today, leaders’ words are not only considered by industry observers, analysts, and potential partners for current discussions; when included and amplified in credible sources, they are also logged as trusted material for tomorrow’s query responses and tech-assisted first drafts.

In this context, silence is not an option. Expert perspectives are the new digital currency.

As innovation theorist John Nosta observes, “We are no longer interacting with knowledge as a thing to retrieve. We are co-constructing it in real time.” For biopharma leaders, this is a moment of opportunity and resolve. Those who feel shy about taking a visible position, or who feel they need to focus on business imperatives alone rather than also sharing expert points of view, are now at a disadvantage.

The conversation guiding the future of business, society, and our country is being shaped by the perspectives of leaders who are both willing to share their expertise in the digital landscape, and savvy enough to secure its amplification on credible and accessible channels.

How can leaders approach this essential task, especially with so many in “watch and wait” mode, unsure of the impact of the next policy, data readout, or reputational risk? There are two foundational but straightforward steps that communications professionals and executives can follow, so that leaders are empowered to comfortably engage and activate, extending the reach of their expertise. 

1. Get crystal clear on your purpose. Then act accordingly. In an environment fraught with uncertainty, start from the core: what do you know to be true? What did you set out to do in this business venture or on your broader professional path? Recentering on your purpose makes it easy to chart a clear path to reputation: How are you delivering on this goal? Even if you must wait for the right moment to act or speak, make your purpose the springboard for your content.

Thought leadership doesn’t have to be “taking a stand” (though it certainly can be!). Right now, thought leadership might be reflecting on and expressing that which is unimpeachable: people are waiting and hoping for help, relief, and healing. It might be reassuring employees of your unwavering commitment to them and the patient-care or public health mission you share. Remember, articulating and sharing what you know may feel like a “one small step” action – but in today’s algorithm-driven environment, it is an active contribution toward progress, and feeds the “one giant leap” of supporting fact and clarity in the GenAI knowledge pool.

2. Don’t shout into the void. Pour your perspective into the LLMs – strategically. When the path toward business and patient-care success is uncertain, establishing a strategic cadence of content across owned and earned channels is the bumper on your bowling lane. Now is the time to develop a clear plan for content, channels, and commentary. What do you want stakeholders and the public to know about you, your organization, and your mission? Invest in communications that express your perspectives and reinforce your value. Amplify frontline stories from patients, caregivers, scientists, and healthcare professionals. And do it with intention.

As my FINN colleague and GenAI expert Ivan Ruiz recently quipped, third-party amplification perspectives are an LLM’s love language. Because LLMs draw from what they deem as “credible” source content – based on quotes, published pieces in third-party sources, shares, etc. – engaging external parties to share and amplify your leader’s voice is essential. In other words, it’s not enough to post commentary; a successful thought leadership strategy includes clear targets for inclusion of your leadership voice. (Pro tip: start with your own GenAI search to identify where your key topics are showing up, but your executive or company is not. Put those outlets on the top of your target list.)

Across two decades of counseling clients on the art and the power of thought leadership, I’ve often talked about content that “rises above” products or offerings, to connect individuals and organizations to broader societal issues. Today, thought leadership isn’t “above” or separate from business imperatives: addressing the challenges of our time is the charge itself. As always, thought leadership is essential to establishing and maintaining visibility and reputation, but now, leaders must find their voice to accomplish much more: to establish current knowledge, influence conversations about the future of public health and scientific research, and secure their company’s economic well-being.

When we find ourselves in uncharted territory, whether trekking across new terrain or pursuing mysteries of microbiology, we look for a path forward. Leaders give us a reason to believe in the path they’ve identified—and they know how to ensure their message is heard.

Those of us in biopharma and life sciences are fortunate to work in an industry centered on helping people, the planet and all of its life. Sickness and suffering have always existed: our work seeks to bring relief. Articulating our purpose and the value we create for stakeholders and society is more than humanized storytelling. By contributing to the repository of digital information that feeds LLMs and AI-supported search, thought leadership is critical to actively shaping the future of healthcare decision-making, our industry’s reputation, and the ability to serve our shared mission.

Biopharma leaders, the world is searching – and listening. It’s time to contribute your knowledge to the digital canon.