Medical affairs professionals rely on copyrighted scientific content every day, and the rapid adoption of AI is reshaping how it can be used. On a new episode of the MAPS Elevate podcast, host Garth Sundam and CCC’s Lauren Tulloch discuss why copyright is central to the AI conversation in medical affairs.
Tulloch, Vice President and Managing Director at CCC, explains that AI is moving beyond everyday tasks into the core workflows of professionals, including medical information teams who summarize literature and answer questions from healthcare providers and patients. Because that work draws on authoritative scientific content, copyright comes into play whenever materials are uploaded into an AI system. She frames the issue around inputs, including model training and the content users add, and outputs, which may count as derivatives depending on how much is reused.
Rather than waiting on inconsistent court cases, Tulloch advises medical affairs teams to help put uncertainty to bed through licensing and clear frameworks. She also encourages teams to check with colleagues in legal or information management, since many organizations already hold copyright licenses, which, in some cases, can be extended to cover AI use.