AI‑ENABLED HUMAN REPRESENTATION IN PHARMACEUTICAL MARKETING
By Stephanie Schulman and Kevin Karlsen
Balancing Scale, Authenticity, and Trust
Generative AI is expanding how brands create and scale human representation in marketing. Rather than simply replacing traditional production, AI introduces new ways to extend and adapt human imagery across the growing volume of content required for modern omnichannel engagement.
For pharmaceutical marketers, this creates a meaningful opportunity, but it also raises the bar for how people are represented, and why.
Because healthcare communications demand a higher standard of credibility, authenticity, and patient trust, the real question isn’t whether AI-generated human imagery can be used, it’s when, where, and how it should be applied.
Governance Comes First
Before considering efficiency or scale, governance must lead.
Many pharmaceutical client agreements now include explicit provisions governing artificial intelligence in external-facing communications. Master Service Agreements, Statements of Work, and client AI policies often define whether AI-generated content is permitted, whether disclosure is required, and whether synthetic human representation is restricted. This is especially important as disclosure requirements will rapidly evolve: beginning June 2026, New York law will require advertisers to disclose the use of AI-generated “synthetic performers” in commercial advertisements.
Clarifying these parameters early ensures alignment with client expectations, regulatory requirements, and brand risk tolerance before creative decisions are made.
Efficiency, With Context
In high-volume content industries, AI-generated imagery has already demonstrated meaningful operational benefits. Adjacent sectors such as retail and e-commerce report production cost reductions of 50–70% when AI-generated imagery replaces traditional shoots. In pharma, the impact is more nuanced.
AI-assisted production can meaningfully reduce friction in concept development, visual exploration, and the creation of modular variations, especially as brands move toward omnichannel, always-on content ecosystems. However, regulatory review cycles, governance requirements, and the role of human talent ultimately shape how much value AI can unlock.
Efficiency matters, but it cannot be the only driver.
The Human Representation Spectrum
Pharmaceutical marketers now have more options than ever for representing people in content, each with distinct trade-offs.
Traditional human talent remains essential for patient storytelling, testimonials, emotional narratives, and sensitive conditions. It delivers the highest authenticity, but with higher cost and limited scalability.
Hybrid models, including digital twins, offer a powerful middle ground. A real human model is captured once and extended through AI-generated imagery to support omnichannel scaling, localization, and modular content systems, provided talent rights and representation accuracy are carefully governed.
Fully AI-generated humans deliver maximum efficiency and scale. They are best suited for conceptual imagery, background characters, rapid experimentation, and high-volume digital content where individuals are illustrative rather than narrative-driven.
The goal isn’t to choose one approach universally, but to align representation to the communication objective.
Culture, Trust, and Therapeutic Sensitivity
Audience awareness of AI-generated media is growing quickly, and in healthcare, that awareness carries weight.
While some industries have aggressively embraced synthetic models, regulated sectors are moving more intentionally. Trust remains central, particularly in therapeutic areas where lived experience, identity, and community are core to the message, such as rare disease, mental health, neurological conditions, or stigmatized illnesses.
In contrast, hybrid or AI-generated imagery may be more appropriate for general disease education, conceptual lifestyle visuals, background imagery, or high-volume digital content where individuals are not representing patient experience.
Applying a therapeutic-area lens helps ensure representation choices align with patient expectations and community sensitivity.
A Practical Decision Lens
When determining the right approach, teams should ask:
Does this content rely on lived experience or emotional storytelling?
Is the human presence symbolic rather than narrative-driven?
Does the campaign require high-volume or modular content?
Could synthetic imagery undermine trust, create confusion about patient authenticity, or trigger disclosure obligations?
Is the therapeutic area particularly sensitive?
These questions help guide intentional, case-by-case decisions rather than defaulting to a single model.
The Bigger Opportunity
AI-generated human imagery should not be viewed simply as a cost-saving tactic. The larger opportunity lies in shifting from single-use campaign production to scalable human representation systems built for modern, omnichannel marketing.
In practice, brands will likely use the full spectrum:
Traditional human talent for authentic storytelling
Hybrid digital twins to scale representation across content ecosystems
Fully AI-generated imagery for conceptual or high-volume needs
When applied thoughtfully, AI can unlock efficiency while preserving the trust, empathy, and credibility healthcare audiences expect.
Interested in exploring how these approaches could apply to your brand or campaign? We’d love to connect.
Stephanie Schulman
Chief Content Enablement Officer, Publicis Health
Stephanie leads initiatives focused on transforming how healthcare content is designed, developed, and delivered across the network. Her work centers on building modern content systems that integrate strategy, creative, production, and emerging technologies such as AI.
Kevin Karlsen
EVP, Co-Head of U.S. Agency Production, Publicis Production
Kevin leads production across the agency ecosystem, bringing Publicis’ Intelligent Content model to life. With more than 20 years of experience across London, Los Angeles, and New York, he brings deep expertise in film, photography, branded content, and integrated campaigns, delivering creative work at scale.