In February and March 2023, Scimcon is hosting panel discussions at both SmartLab Exchange Europe and SmartLab Exchange US. The events, taking place in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and San Diego, North America take place on an annual basis as a forum for scientists in the modern lab to interact, form new connections, and learn more about the evolving technology that is disrupting the lab. Attendees and speakers will debate themes including: Lab of the Future, Data, Digitalisation, Quality Management and Standardisation during the conferences.
As a sponsor and panel chair in 2023, Scimcon’s opening panel discussion ‘What Is The Future For Human Scientists as AI & ML Deliver the Promised Step Change in Laboratory Practice?’ explored the future of human input in the lab, and how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) could impact the structures and processes in place.
Following introductions by Birthe Nielsen of the Pistoia Alliance, the session discussions will be led by Geoff Parker, co-founder of Scimcon. The panel discussion in Amsterdam took place on Wednesday 22nd February 2023, and featured key opinion leaders on the panel including, Edith Gardenier from Genmab, and Andy Phillips and Robin Brouwer from AstraZeneca. The San Diego panel is scheduled for Wednesday 22nd March 2023, and panel participants include Robert Pluim from Genmab, Miu-Ling Lau from Merck, and Scott Stanley from the University of Kentucky.
Discussing AI and ML at SmartLab Exchange
AI and ML are everywhere we look – in the news, on our phones and other smart devices, and are increasingly making their way into other areas of our daily lives. In transport, we’re seeing steps being made towards self-driving vehicles. But what will happen to those engaged with the transport sector when human input is no longer required?
The same questions can be asked about the lab. We have seen similar disruptions in the past, and many scientists will still remember the days of cutting out chromatograms to weigh them and calculate peak areas – a task which now is fully automated. Through the employment of similar automated technologies – from sample prep, to HTS, and sophisticated instrumentation – we have been able to give more time back to scientists, to allow them to spend longer on the science that matters.
Our panel at SmartLab Exchange Europe and US will dig deeper into AI and ML, and how it will impact the role played by human scientists in years to come.
Tackling the AI & ML questions for scientists
The panellists will debate the big questions facing scientists on the topics of AI and ML during the sessions, including:
- First; where are we seeing AI/ML making inroads into our labs today?
- What will be the major areas of scientific workflow likely to be impacted by AI/ML?
- What tasks do we believe will remain the domain of humans?
- If AI/ML reduces the number of experiments that we need to do to achieve our lab targets, how will this affect the lab structure?
- We have all heard the phrase “Enable Scientists to spend more time doing science”
- What will scientists do with the additional time this next phase of technology will present us with?
- Will lab sizes contract or will we seek to deliver ever greater results with similar sized operations?
- What key skills will our scientists need in this new paradigm and how will this effect training and recruitment needs?
- Scientists are exposed to rapidly changing technologies and work practices more than most people. How do we feel they will react to the likely significant change triggered by AI/ML?
- Predicting timelines of future technology is never easy; when do you see the major impact of AI/ML occurring in your labs?
Following the SmartLab Exchange, Scimcon will summarize topics of key interest to the audiences in a future blog.
To join the discussion and hear more how AI/ML will impact laboratories and scientific operations, contact our team for more information.
