Ricks’ Growing Reliance on AI
Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks has become one of the latest high-profile executives to openly embrace artificial intelligence as a constant part of his workflow. During a recent conversation on Stripe cofounder John Collison’s Cheeky Pint podcast, Ricks revealed that AI tools now assist him every minute of every meeting, helping him stay intellectually engaged with the company’s fast-moving scientific work.
Ricks explained that traditionally he keeps up with medical advances by reading journals, attending scientific conferences, and spending time with researchers. But now, real-time AI support has become an essential part of his process. “I just am asking science questions,” he said, noting that AI gives him fast, technical insights that complement his existing routines.
Why ChatGPT Isn’t His Go-To for Science
While Ricks values AI, he made it clear that OpenAI’s ChatGPT isn’t his preferred tool for scientific reasoning. “It’s too verbal,” he said, suggesting that the model often delivers answers that feel more conversational than technically sharp.
Instead, he favors Anthropic’s Claude and xAI’s Grok, which he says deliver more concise responses and more reliable citations. According to Ricks, one of the biggest challenges in using frontier AI models is avoiding hallucinations—answers that include incorrect or fabricated information. “Sometimes the AIs produce references, and they’re actually not the thing that it said,” he explained. Claude and Grok, he says, offer better accuracy.
His remarks quickly caught the attention of xAI CEO Elon Musk, who celebrated the endorsement on X, writing: “Cool that David Ricks uses @Grok as his daily AI advisor.”
AI Use Among Major Tech Leaders Is Rising
Ricks is not alone in integrating AI into his daily work. Other executives—especially in tech—have voiced similar habits.
Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO, uses Copilot to summarize email and Teams messages.
Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s CEO, regularly uses AI as a personal tutor.
The normalization of AI among top executives reflects how deeply embedded the technology has become across industries.
Eli Lilly’s Strong Momentum
Ricks’ comments come during a period of exceptional performance for Eli Lilly. Over the past year, its stock has climbed roughly 31%, largely driven by blockbuster demand for its GLP-1 weight-loss drug Zepbound and the diabetes treatment Mounjaro. These products have established Lilly as one of the leaders in the rapidly expanding weight-management pharmaceutical market.
Why AI Isn’t Ready to Transform Drug Discovery—Yet
Despite his enthusiasm for AI as a personal assistant, Ricks maintains a realistic view of its limitations in drug development. He argues that to make meaningful scientific breakthroughs, AI needs access to a far more complete map of human biology than currently exists.
“I would estimate we might know 10 to 15% of human biology,” he said. “The machine is not going to be good at all until we get way above 50%.”
To get there, Ricks believes the world must invest heavily in robotic, round-the-clock laboratory systems capable of generating vast, high-quality biological datasets. He suggests the NIH should be leading this initiative, though he notes that no such effort exists today in the United States.
The Road Ahead
Ricks’ perspective paints a clear picture: AI is already transforming executive workflows and boosting scientific literacy among leaders, but its potential in drug discovery depends on massive future investment. For now, AI serves as an invaluable advisor—just not the scientist itself.
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