Deloitte Tech Trends 2026: A European Life Sciences & Healthcare perspective

The agentic reality check

Nearly a third of Life Science and Healthcare organisations recognise agentic AI as having a significant impact on their organisational strategies. However, success rests on more than technology alone. Challenges of a highly regulated industry and interconnected operational landscape includes:

• Overcoming organisational and cultural hurdles
• Building robust knowledge foundations
• Strategic deployment for tangible value
  

AI goes physical

Physical AI is evolving robots from pre-programmed machines into adaptive systems that perceive, learn, and operate autonomously in complex environments. This signifies that intelligence is no longer confined to screens but is embodied in

physical forms, solving real-world problems.

​This development represents a fundamental shift for LSHC. Physical AI has the potential to address persistent labour shortages, enhance operational resilience in complex manufacturing and clinical environments, and enable autonomous decision-making across its diverse production landscape.  However, Physical AI will not transform LSHC uniformly and its value will emerge selectively.  

• LSHC manufacturing still dependent on traditional robots
• Transformative potential in MedTech
• Value in smart warehousing & supply chain

The AI infrastructure reckoning

When generative artificial intelligence exploded on the scene, businesses got busy dreaming up next-generation products and services. Today, AI has grown up. But as it moves from proof of concept to production-scale deployment, enterprises are discovering their existing infrastructure strategies aren’t designed for AI’s demands.

In LSHC, AI infrastructure already plays a crucial and growing role. Organisations are rethinking where and how they deploy their AI workload, considering rising cost, data sovereignty, latency sensitivity, resilience needs, and IP protections.​

• Efficient compute economics
• Privacy and an increase in data sovereignty
• Value and longevity of AI use cases

The great rebuild

IT's role is rapidly transforming from simply maintaining systems to strategically driving innovation, largely thanks to AI. LSHC organisations are fundamentally re-architecting their technology functions to become AI-native, driven by a clear business mandate to close the massive gap between growth targets and operating costs, alongside evolving CIO leadership, all while navigating the sector's distinct regulatory and operational complexities.

• Strategy and portfolio management: Closing the business gap
• Technology operating model: Organisational maturity & mindset shift
• The enabling architecture: Building future-ready foundations
  

The AI dilemma

Organisations that deploy artificial intelligence at scale are discovering its paradox: The same AI capabilities that help them be more competitive can also introduce new security risks. And to add to the paradox, they’re also recognising that AI offers powerful new capabilities to counter the very vulnerabilities it creates.

Given the already regulated nature of the LSHC industry and the sensitivity of patient and health data, intellectual property, and clinical processes, mitigating AI risks is paramount. Both amplified threats and novel defence tools, alongside significant internal governance challenges, will shape how each organisation responds to this changing landscape.​