On this episode of The Bold PhD podcast, host Dr. Gertrude Nonterah spoke with Dr. Bolu Oladini, an AI Content Lead in medical affairs, about how professionals can AI proof your job while navigating rapid technological change in healthcare and life sciences.
Dr. Oladini’s work sits at the intersection of artificial intelligence, scientific communication, and pharmaceutical strategy. His role focuses on responsibly integrating generative AI into medical affairs functions such as publications, field medical insights, advisory boards, and training—areas where accuracy, ethics, and accountability are critical.
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What Medical Affairs Has to Do With AI
Medical affairs serves as the scientific backbone of pharmaceutical companies. Teams communicate data to physicians, regulators like the FDA, and scientific stakeholders while shaping publication strategies and capturing real-world insights from clinicians. As Dr. Oladini explained, AI is particularly powerful here because medical affairs is fundamentally about communication, synthesis, and pattern recognition—all strengths of large language models.
His team uses AI to speed up medical writing, analyze insights from field medical teams, and reduce administrative burden so professionals can focus on higher-level scientific engagement.
Will AI Replace Medical Jobs?
One of the most important lessons from the episode was that AI does not replace accountability. Dr. Oladini emphasized that AI replaces low-level tasks, not high-stakes professional roles.
In healthcare and life sciences, mistakes carry serious financial, regulatory, and patient safety consequences. AI can generate drafts and insights, but it cannot take responsibility when things go wrong. That’s why human oversight remains essential—and why professionals who supervise, interpret, and guide AI will remain valuable.
This is one of the core ways to AI proof your job: move up the value chain from task execution to decision-making, judgment, and accountability.
From Fear to Opportunity: A New Mindset
Dr. Oladini and Dr. Nonterah also explored how fear-based media narratives distort how people think about AI. Dr. Oladini described the difference between being a “problemist”—someone paralyzed by worst-case scenarios—and a “solutionist,” who asks, “How can I use this to my advantage?”
Rather than trying to predict five years into the future, he encouraged professionals to focus on taking the next smart step, building skills, and staying adaptable. Careers, like experiments, evolve through iteration—not certainty.
How to AI Proof Your Job in Pharma and Beyond
For early-career professionals interested in medical affairs, scientific communication, or AI-enabled roles, Dr. Oladini offered a clear path:
- Develop a portfolio of scientific writing or analysis
- Start on the agency or freelance side to gain experience
- Learn industry processes before specializing in AI
- Use professional organizations for education and networking
- American Medical Writers Association (AMWA)
- International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP)
He also encouraged people to “productize themselves” by combining their unique skills into something that cannot be easily replicated by AI.
Where to Learn More
Dr. Oladini shares insights on AI, resilience, and career growth through:
- His website: https://www.bolu.com
- His newsletter: Quick Wins Wednesday
- LinkedIn and Instagram
Final Thought
AI is not the enemy of professional careers—it is a powerful amplifier. As this episode makes clear, those who learn to collaborate with AI, guide it, and take responsibility for its outputs will be the ones who truly AI proof your job in the years ahead.