Krishna Cheriath: AI is Disrupting Clinical Research Already

Enterprise software has dominated how companies operate for decades. Krishna Cheriath, Head of Clinical Research Data and AI at Thermo Fischer Scientific, believes that model is being broken by AI teammates. In this episode of Breaking Protocol, Krishna joins Ram Yalamanchili to discuss how AI teammates are fundamentally disrupting the enterprise technology stack itself. Instead of navigating layers of applications and workflows, future knowledge workers will interact directly with data through AI agents that reason, plan, and act.Krishna brings a rare perspective at the intersection of technology, AI, and pharmaceutical R&D. As Head of Digital and AI for Clinical Research at Thermo Fisher Scientific and former Chief Data & AI leader at Zoetis and Bristol Myers Squibb, he has spent decades deploying enterprise technology inside some of the world’s largest life sciences organizations.The conversation explores why clinical trials still struggle with timelines and operational complexity, why automation alone has not delivered the expected breakthroughs, and why AI may represent a fundamentally different paradigm.They also discuss the growing importance of AI fluency across the life sciences industry and why both individuals and organizations must rethink how they learn and adapt in an era of AI-augmented work.Topics covered include:• Why clinical trial operations have not improved as much as expected• The limits of automation in drug development workflows• Why AI could disrupt the entire enterprise software model• The concept of a human-AI workspace replacing traditional applications• How AI fluency will shape the future of clinical research leadershipFor leaders in pharma, biotech, and clinical research, this conversation offers a clear look at how AI may reshape both the technology stack and the way scientific organizations operate.