With seemingly unavoidable and unceasing headlines such as “FDA Rolls Out Agentic AI for Staffers,” “How AI is Transforming Clinical Trials,” and “New AI System Could Accelerate Clinical Research” hitting the news feeds every day, it’s no wonder some observers from the trenches of the drug and device development industry want to separate the honest hope from the breathless hype when it comes to how artificial intelligence (AI) is being applied to their everyday working lives. 

Taking an experimental drug is likely the first thing that comes to mind for most people who’ve never participated in human subjects research when the prospect of joining a clinical trial comes up. However, speakers who are getting ready to present a session at the ACRP 2026 conference in Orlando next April say that it’s important for research centers in any community—especially highly diverse and minority-rich communities—to consider offering other types of studies to the populations they serve to help foster trust in clinical trials. 

Striking the ideal balance of planning, executing, and overseeing clinical trials between research sponsors, contract research organization (CRO) personnel, and study site teams is like the proverbial three-legged stool scenario. Shortcomings on the part of any one of the partners can pitch the whole project askew.