Can AI Replace Certain IT Roles in Pharma?

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An Early Look at the Impact of Madrid Tech Show 2025

As Madrid Tech Show 2025 approaches, artificial intelligence is set to become the star of the event—not only for its enterprise applications but also for its direct impact on technology talent. The pharmaceutical industry, already undergoing accelerated digital transformation, is no stranger to this disruption.

Is IT talent truly at risk from growing automation? Which functions could radically change? And what new roles are gaining strength? This article explores these questions from a realistic perspective, anticipating many of the key debates to take place in Madrid on October 29.

Replace or Transform? The Reality Behind IT Jobs

The narrative that generative AI will massively eliminate technical jobs has gained traction, but it doesn’t fully reflect reality. Instead, AI is reshaping the focus and skills required for IT professionals rather than erasing their value altogether.

One of the most anticipated sessions at the event, “Generative AI in Business: Challenges, Benefits, and Ethical Limits”, highlights this balance: automation yes—but with purpose, and without losing the human dimension of talent.

“AI doesn’t come to replace IT talent, but to push it toward more strategic and less operational capabilities.”

Pharma and Automation: Which Functions Are Changing?

In a highly regulated and sensitive industry like pharma, AI-driven automation is already transforming specific tasks. Sessions such as “Digital Transformation in Regulated Environments: AI and Automation in the Pharmaceutical Sector” will showcase how technology is reshaping critical areas such as:

  • Software testing (QA) automated with generative AI.
  • Regulatory documentation (GxP) generated with AI assistance.
  • Clinical data cleaning and normalization through intelligent algorithms.
  • First-level technical support handled by AI-powered chatbots.

These advances don’t eliminate roles, but they do change their function within the digital value chain.

The IT Roles Most at Risk (and How to Adapt)

Based on trends expected at the event, some IT roles are more exposed to a deep transformation of their tasks:

  • Manual QA Testers: partially replaced by intelligent testing platforms.
  • Support Technicians: routine issues resolved automatically by AI.
  • Data Engineers focused on repetitive data preparation tasks.
  • Technical Writers producing compliance documentation that can be AI-assisted.

The key will be evolving toward functions that combine technical expertise, business understanding, and the ability to collaborate with AI systems.

Emerging Roles in Pharma-AI Environments

Alongside automation, new roles are rapidly emerging and will be central to the future of IT work. Several will feature prominently in sessions at Madrid Tech Show:

  • Prompt Engineers: highlighted in “Generative AI in Business”, focused on designing effective prompts for regulated and medical use cases.
  • AI Product Owners: ensuring AI-driven products align with real business and compliance needs.
  • MLOps Engineers: featured in “AI + DevOps + MLOps: How the Software Lifecycle Is Changing”, key to integrating AI into pharma pipelines.
  • Data Governance Leads: essential for safeguarding ethics, privacy, and data quality.
“IT talent in pharma doesn’t disappear with AI—it shifts to more critical, strategic, and high-impact roles.”

Rethinking IT Talent Management: The Real Challenge

Sessions like “Digital Culture and Talent Management in the Age of AI” anticipate a vital conversation: technology alone does not transform organizations—talent does, when given the right conditions.

For pharma, this means rethinking:

  • Upskilling and reskilling programs aligned with new workflows.
  • Agile approaches to attracting specialized talent, often outside traditional channels.
  • Flexible organizational structures, mixing internal staff, consultants, and external experts.
  • Employer branding strategies, to compete against big tech and startups.

In short, AI won’t replace people—but it may replace talent models that don’t evolve.

An Opportunity to Lead Digital Transformation

Madrid Tech Show 2025 will serve as a mirror for many healthcare companies to assess whether they are truly prepared to compete in a data-driven, automated, and AI-powered world.

“AI doesn’t eliminate tech jobs—it eliminates jobs that don’t transform.”

For the pharma sector, this is both an opportunity and a responsibility: to lead the transition with vision, strategy, and bold investment in talent.

References

Antonio Castaño

Autor Antonio Castaño Romero