Belén Garijo, Chair of the Executive Board and CEO of Merck, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“AI moves fast. People have to upskill faster. One of the things I am proudest of over the last five years is how quickly our teams embraced that reality with a strong data culture.
We chose early to build capability, confidence, and responsibility around data and AI. We wanted our people to have the tools, the skills, and the mindset to use these technologies well and to use them with purpose.
That decision has made a real difference. Here´s a quick look back in how far and how fast we´ve come.
In 2022, we launched a unified data and analytics platform across Merck, and within weeks it was already seeing more than 4,000 weekly users. We then introduced myGPT, becoming the first DAX-listed company to provide secure employee access to an internal conversational AI tool. By 2025, myGPT-Suite had grown to more than 34,000 monthly active users, and our Data and Digital Academy had reached more than 20,000 colleagues.
What matters most to me is the behavior behind those milestones. Curiosity. Learning. Discipline. The willingness to adapt. The courage to experiment. The commitment to use AI responsibly. And perhaps most of all, the courage to not see AI as a threat, but more as a chance to unlock human creativity and save time from mundane tasks.
As one signal of just how successful these steps have been, we were ranked No. 2 in the globally Pharma AI Readiness Index last year.
To every colleague who leaned in, built new skills, and helped shape our data and AI culture, thank you. You helped put Merck in a strong position for what comes next.”
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