AI Adoption in Medical Affairs: What High-Performing Teams Do Differently

Most organizations talk about AI adoption. Nick Taylor builds it -- then uses it himself, teaches it live, and shows up to workshops with working prototypes. As Head of IT Innovation at Gilead Sciences, Nick has led Microsoft Copilot deployment across a global pharma organization, built an enterprise AI assistant now used by nearly 30,000 employees, and spent years navigating the compliance, security, and change management realities that most AI conversations skip entirely. In this episode of OnPoint: The Medical Excellence Podcast, Scott Thompson sits down with Nick to unpack what real AI adoption looks like -- from personal productivity to enterprise-scale deployment.

What You'll Learn

• How to move from using AI to actually getting value from it. Nick breaks down the maturity curve he uses to guide teams -- from personal productivity tools and custom instructions through shared team agents to enterprise-grade, regulated use cases -- and explains why most people are stuck at level one without knowing it.
• Why prompting is a skill, and how to build it fast. Nick shares the GCSE framework (Goal, Context, Source, Expectations) he adapted from Microsoft for structuring prompts that consistently produce better outputs -- and why writing samples and custom instructions change everything.
• What enterprise AI governance actually looks like in a regulated environment. From data privacy misconceptions to SharePoint hygiene to the difference between what an individual can build versus what needs an architecture review -- Nick walks through the compliance and governance realities that pharma AI leaders need to understand before they scale.
• How to build a culture of AI champions without losing control. Nick shares how Gilead is approaching the tension between democratization and governance -- and why his default is education over limitation, at least for now.

Speakers

Scott Thompson Acceleration Point | CEO and Host, OnPoint: The Medical Excellence Podcast

Scott has spent over 15 years helping Medical Affairs organizations build more effective engagement and insight programs. He co-facilitated the AI workshops with Nick that inspired this episode and brings a practitioner's lens to every conversation about what Medical Affairs teams can realistically adopt and benefit from today.

Nick Taylor Gilead Sciences | Head of IT Innovation Lab

Nick leads AI product management and innovation at Gilead Sciences, where he built and deployed Genie -- an enterprise AI navigation tool used by nearly 30,000 employees. He led Gilead's Microsoft Copilot pilot, has built dozens of purpose-built AI agents for internal use, and was recognized as Gilead's inaugural CFO Innovation Champion. He works at the intersection of AI capability, compliance governance, and hands-on user enablement.

Connect with Nick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ntaylornc

OnPoint: The Medical Excellence Podcast delivers insightful conversations on the most pressing issues facing top Medical Affairs professionals. Listen to stay ahead of industry trends and be inspired by leaders shaping the future of Medical Affairs.

OnPoint is available on several podcast platforms, including the Acceleration Point YouTube channel.

[00:00] – Welcome and Introduction
[02:00] – Early Copilot Pilots and the Small Wins That Sparked Enterprise Adoption
[06:40] – Building Genie: Gilead’s Enterprise AI Assistant
[08:35] – Security, Compliance, and Fixing Broken Data Hygiene
[14:45] – The Four Levels of AI Maturity in Medical Affairs
[18:55] – Personal AI Mastery: Prompts, Roles, and Nick’s ‘Board of Advisor’ Agents
[28:35] – Scaling AI Across Pharma and Why You Can’t Outsource Thinking