Merck’s $1 billion deal with Google Cloud aims to boost its AI credentials, and the US pharmaceutical giant has some big plans for its commercial teams.
On Thursday, April 22, Merck announced a new agreement with the tech giant to give pharmaceutical companies access to Google’s Agent AI platform across their research and development operations, manufacturing, sales teams, and corporate functions.
Agenttic AI functions as an autonomous AI system, capable of taking on increasingly complex functions and using digital tools with limited human oversight.
The focus, at least initially, will be on the commercial side. In an interview with Fierce Pharma Marketing, a Merck spokesperson outlined key changes coming forward, with collaboration with physicians and health care providers being one of the key priorities.
“We are completely rethinking the way we create and distribute content to engage healthcare professionals,” a spokesperson said. “We are leveraging a new digital backbone to build a fully integrated agent system that will allow us to deliver more personalized and relevant information to physicians and health systems faster than ever before.”
“We are already seeing early signs of success in leveraging Gemini for market research insights and document preparation for regulatory filings,” said Merck, using Google’s AI assistant program known as Gemini.
The AI integration comes at a time of some major corporate transformation at Merck. The company last year revealed plans to lay off thousands of employees to save $3 billion a year by the end of 2027. And in February, it announced a new corporate structure that would focus on oncology in a separate business unit and separate its other pharmaceutical businesses into a separate group.
When asked if this AI strategy would lead to further savings, a spokesperson said: “Our competitive advantage has always been our people and the depth of our talent, and that continues to be the case as we introduce new digital technologies that drive our business forward.”
Instead, the plan focuses on productivity and aims to equip employees with advanced AI tools, “enabling them to work smarter and have a greater impact on patients, while investing in the skills and support needed to foster AI fluency.”
