Novo Nordisk is going all in on AI

Novo Nordisk announced it will use OpenAI’s technology to analyse complex datasets, identify new drug candidates faster and upskill its global workforce. Full integration is planned by the end of the year.

The collaboration will apply OpenAI’s most advanced AI capabilities globally across Novo Nordisk’s operations, with the overarching aim of accelerating the discovery and delivery of new treatments for obesity, diabetes and other serious chronic diseases. Pilot programmes will launch in research and development, manufacturing and commercial activities. OpenAI will also help Novo Nordisk upskill its global workforce and enhance AI literacy across the organisation.

Novo said the partnership will be “structured with strict data protection, governance and human oversight to ensure ethical and compliant use”.

“This partnership is one important step in positioning Novo Nordisk to lead in the next era of healthcare,” said Mike Doustdar, president and CEO of Novo Nordisk. “Integrating AI in our everyday work gives us the ability to analyse datasets at a scale that was previously impossible, identify patterns we could not see, and test hypotheses faster than ever. This means discovering new therapies and bringing them to market faster than ever before.”

“AI is reshaping industries and in life sciences, it can help people live better, longer lives,” added Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI.

For the wider life sciences sector, the deal signals that big pharma is moving beyond experimental AI pilots towards organisation-wide integration, treating artificial intelligence as a core capability rather than a niche research tool. Novo Nordisk’s ambition to use AI to uncover new therapies and compress the time from research to patient aligns with a broader industry shift towards data-driven, AI-accelerated drug discovery.