Embracing AI and human intelligence: my journey at Day One and the future of healthcare research
Article by Joel Jitell, Global Head of Operations at Day One Strategy.
When I joined Day One as Global Head of Operations last July, I knew I was stepping into a challenge. Day One is a young, fast-growing global healthcare insight and strategy agency, and while there are familiar faces and terminology, everything we do feels refreshingly new.
Research sits at the core of everything we do, but we constantly find ways to push the boundaries of healthcare insights and I feel like I learn something new every day!
Why I Chose Day One
Let me explain why I chose Day One (and I’m very grateful that they chose me!). With over 20 years in project management and operations (yes, despite my youthful appearance and only being about 30 years old!), I’ve witnessed a growing disconnect between our industry practices and the rapidly evolving world around us.
While our personal lives have been transformed by social media, apps, and AI, our work methods often lagged behind. Day One represented an opportunity to start fresh, building on today’s technological foundations rather than trying to retrofit outdated systems. Here, we’re not just changing bricks or painting walls—we’re reimagining the entire structure. And crucially, we’re doing this with amazing people because I firmly believe technology should enhance our work and our lives, not replace us.
The Excitement and Challenges of Continuous Learning
Adapting to new technology can be exhausting, but continuous learning isn’t just beneficial — it’s inevitable. As we ride the wave of new technology that is evolving in real-time, learning alongside us and sometimes even teaching us, we have no choice, but we’re presented with an incredible opportunity. I’m, of course, talking about AI. For those of you familiar with Day One, this should not come as a surprise; embracing technology and combining it with human intelligence to enhance our work is what we are known for.
Navigating AI, Compliance, and Market Research
For someone responsible for compliance, the rapid evolution of AI poses its challenges as technology is currently evolving much quicker than laws are being drafted and guidelines published. Within our sector, there is no escaping compliance. At least not under my watch. I pride myself on ensuring that we can both use the latest technology and be compliant with industry guidelines and data privacy legislation. Although this isn’t easy to manage, it isn’t what keeps me up at night when it comes to AI… it’s the risk of bias that does.
AI and the Risk of Bias
While AI excels at processing vast datasets, it comes with a significant challenge: bias. Companies might rely on historical data to solve today’s problems, but if that data isn’t diverse or representative, AI risks perpetuating outdated perspectives rather than fostering true innovation.
We have only just started to understand the importance of a truly representative sample and it would be a shame if we lost that progress and started to look into the past instead of moving forward.
Without human oversight, AI risks reinforcing biases in historical data, distorting rather than advancing our understanding and insights.
Human Intelligence and Technology Must Evolve Together
My concern with AI is therefore not the technology itself, it’s the fear of not utilising that technology to our advantage and moving forward, but only looking at technology from a speed and cost-saving perspective and, thereby, taking two steps back. This would not be the fault of technological advances, but of human ignorance. And where would that have the worst impact if not in the healthcare industry?
So I’m very grateful to be surrounded by people who embrace technology and value human intelligence. A team that is dedicated to ensuring that AI-driven insights are validated with real human intelligence, because only then can we truly advance healthcare research.
AI Won’t Replace Our Industry—It Will Advance It
There are those who claim AI will replace our industry, but I argue that it will transform it. To harness its full potential, we must combine the best of human intelligence with technological advances. That’s the path forward at Day One.
About 15 years ago, I was asked to put a quote on my very first business card—back when we handed those out in paper form. I wrote: “Don’t be scared of new ideas, be scared of the old ones.” I still stand by that, and luckily, I have also found a company that shares my thinking.
As AI reshapes our industry, how do you see the balance of human intelligence and AI evolve? And what would you put on your business card today to reflect that vision?