The Pharmacist’s Podcast: ‘Small dose’ podcast explores the AI economy and where clinicians fit in

In the latest episode of The Pharmacist’s Podcast, leaders meet at Microsoft’s AI Tour to explore the evolving AI economy and what the technology revolution means for clinicians.

Thousands of professionals gathered at Microsoft’s artificial intelligence (AI) Tour last week to hear about the next phase of AI in the UK and the culture shift needed to make it happen.

The conference, which took place at the ExCel in London on 21 October, focused on what it takes to become a ‘frontier’ organisation in the era of agentic AI and how the NHS should be scaling up AI operations.

Agentic AI refers to autonomous or semi-autonomous systems with minimal human supervision.

Conference attendees heard that the UK is currently eighth in the world for AI adoption but turning it into a leading AI economy depends on more than the development of powerful technology.

Speakers stressed the importance of building trust, ensuring human oversight of AI tools, putting appropriate safeguards in place and upskilling the workforce.

Senior reporter Emily Warner attended the event and in this ‘small dose’ episode of The Pharmacist’s Podcast she brings you the highlights and reflects on what the AI revolution means for healthcare professionals.

The episode features snippets from Satya Nadella, chief executive of Microsoft, and Danny Hardman, chief executive of Microsoft UK and Ireland, who delivered the keynote speech.

Both of their talks were accompanied by demonstrations of Copilot – Microsoft’s AI assistant – which has the capacity to analyse data, create interactive apps, automate routine tasks and draft text.

In June, NHS England announced plans to accelerate AI adoption across healthcare services by providing more than 500,000 clinicians and support staff with access to Copilot.

Mr Hardman invited Dame Caroline Clarke, the first chief executive of NHS Online, onto the stage to speak more about this development as well as the use of AI in healthcare more generally.

She spoke about how Copilot is being used by the NHS to streamline administrative processes and create more time for patient care but highlighted the need for patients and clinicians to trust the tools they are using.

The Pharmacist’s Podcast is hosted on Buzzsprout and can be accessed through all major podcast platforms.

In our previous episode, we explore whether the reputation of online pharmacy has been tarnished by a minority of substandard or illegal providers, and how regulation can protect patients without stifling innovation.

The Pharmacist’s Podcast seeks to explore the latest developments in pharmacy through discussions with experts, policymakers, and frontline professionals to shed light on the stories shaping the profession.

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