This week we are spotlighting Jakob Mainz, Director of AI Governance in R&D at Novo Nordisk, where he leads a specialized team of experts responsible for defining the processes, controls, and tooling required to implement AI safely in drug discovery and development. His team works to enable the use of emerging data types like imaging and “omics” data, while actively driving the company’s R&D AI Council and advising executive leaders on how to deploy these technologies responsibly in medicine development.
We caught up with Jakob to get his perspective on navigating strict global health regulations, the vital importance of “AI-ready” data, his background in AI ethics, and the delicate balancing act of scaling technology without slowing down medicine development.
Hyperight.com: What’s the best way to describe your job to someone outside tech?
Jakob Mainz: Shortly put, my job is to ensure that Novo Nordisk develops and uses AI in a responsible way, for example when it comes to discovering new drugs, or using AI to run clinical trials. The objective is to ensure that we are compliant with the law, health regulators’ requirements, patients’ expectations, and general ethical principles – without slowing the business down.
Hyperight.com: What originally sparked your interest in AI/data, and what keeps you inspired today?
Jakob Mainz: I have a background in academia and philosophy, and I initially came to the field of AI through academic research in AI ethics. Along the way, I became very interested in the technology itself, and all the value it can bring to our lives and to society at large. However, I was always interested in balancing the potential value of the technology against the risks it poses as well. To this day, what gets me up in the morning, is to strike that balance to the benefit of patients worldwide.
Hyperight.com: What is one challenge you’re trying to solve, and why does it matter?
Jakob Mainz: One challenge I am currently trying to solve is to figure out exactly what responsible AI looks like in the eyes of health regulators like the FDA in the US, or the EMA in the EU. We have a very good idea about what proper generic governance frameworks should look like in general, but the pharma industry is extremely regulated, and it is absolutely crucial that we get the authorities onboard if we are to deliver real value to patients through the use of AI.
Hyperight.com: A tool you can’t live without (tech or not)?
Jakob Mainz: My espresso machine! It literally makes me wake up in the morning and keeps me going throughout the day. On the tech side, I use various LLMs daily to help me save tremendous amounts of time while also increasing the value of my output.
Hyperight.com: What trend in data or AI do you think will shape the Nordic region the most?
Jakob Mainz: Even though the concept of AI-ready data is not new, I think it’s going to keep impacting the Nordic region and beyond for the coming years. “Garbage in, garbage out” is a well-known idea, but somehow along the way we forgot the basic insight that foundational data governance is absolutely crucial for having success with AI implementation. If the data is not FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable), you will not get very far even with the fanciest models.
Hyperight.com: What’s one piece of advice you’d give to others entering the data and AI field?
Jakob Mainz: Learn the basics of data- and AI governance early. Then connect it to the specific domain you are in.
