Artwork Management

The Key to Smarter Labeling: AI, Automation, and Compliance in Life Sciences

3 Jul 2025

Written by Alexandra Blanck

Content Manager, Esko

If you’re a labeling professional in the life sciences field, we don’t need to tell you about the pressure you’re under.

You have to do more with less—faster, and across more markets than ever before.

From repetitive artwork checks to localization headaches, the process of maintaining compliance is time-consuming, error-prone, and difficult to scale.

Forward-thinking organizations are turning to AI and automation to change that. 

In a recent webinar, Esko experts explored how AI and automation are helping life sciences teams simplify their labeling workflows, reduce errors, and focus on what really matters: delivering safe, compliant products to patients everywhere.

Let’s get into it.

Where Compliance Gets Complicated

Whether you’re in regulatory affairs, labeling, packaging, or QA, you’ve likely faced one—or all—of these challenges:

1. Manual Checks That Drain Time and Accuracy

Reviewing label artwork is a tedious and highly repetitive task.

Are your eyes burning just thinking about it? Is your head pounding? Same here.

It’s easy to miss things, especially when teams are under pressure.

Much of the process depends on individual knowledge—knowledge that’s often undocumented and inconsistent.

It sounds stressful, and it is.

2. Unstructured Content That Slows You Down

If your team starts with Word docs or Excel files, you’re not alone.

While structured content is gaining traction, most companies still rely on traditional formats—making automation harder to apply.

Version control, approvals, and localization? That’s the stuff dreams are made of. However, with outdated methods, that’s all they are—dreams.

3. Localization That’s Anything but Local

Regulations vary by market, and so do the tools used to meet them.

US teams might use Word. EU teams may work in structured systems.

That lack of global standardization creates confusion, delays, and regulatory risk when expanding or updating product lines.

4. Last-Minute Content Surprises

Let’s be honest: most content changes surface at the final review stage. Which is anything but easy and efficient.

You’re not alone in this struggle, but you are too late. Fixing problems during the artwork review stage adds delays and increases the risk of rework—or worse, noncompliance.

That’s the stuff that nightmares are made of.

How AI Supports (Not Replaces) Labeling Teams

AI is not here to replace human oversight—it’s here to enhance it. Jackie Leslie, Esko Life Sciences Category Specialist, put it plainly during the webinar:

“[AI] is not meant to replace what people are doing today. It’s meant to assist.”

Here’s what that looks like in action:

Fewer Errors, Greater Confidence

When it comes to your artwork, think of AI as “automated proofreading plus.”

It doesn’t just flag typos—it catches regulatory mismatches, missing symbols, incorrect phrasing, and deviations from your source content.

That’s one less migraine resulting from your process.

Faster Turnarounds with Less Burnout

By taking over repetitive tasks, AI frees your team to focus on strategic decisions, stakeholder collaboration, and quality improvement.

That means faster approvals and fewer sleepless nights before a product launch.

Finally, your dreams and your reality merge as one.

Smarter Workflows That Fit Your Team

When it comes to implementing AI, you might think the technology itself is the main challenge.

However, AI algorithms only account for 10% of implementation issues.

The rest? According to a recent Boston Consulting Group study, the bulk of the challenges are caused by people and the process, accounting for a whopping 70%.

Success starts with technology that integrates into the way your team works—not the other way around.

Good Inputs = Great Outputs

Content is king. As Jackie notes, “You can automate all you want, but if you have bad content, you’re just getting to a bad result faster.”

With AI, the value of inputting clean, controlled content becomes even more important as does the ownership and governance of that content data.

It’s important for the right people to have access to the right content—so that labeling decisions are based on a single, trusted source of truth.

What AI-Driven Labeling Looks Like Today

So, practically speaking, what does this mean for your team? I’ll tell you!

Automated Content Management

In a highly structured industry like life sciences, AI thrives—because the rules, templates, and regulatory requirements provide the foundation it needs to operate effectively.

When supported by clear guidelines and controlled content sources, AI can intelligently ingest content from structured systems, Word, Excel, and more, mapping the right phrases and symbols to the right artwork, intelligently and consistently.

No more hunting through folders or emails.

Content is applied where it belongs, faster and with fewer errors.

Artwork Creation That Works for You

AI applies your content to artwork templates based on logic and defined business rules.

That means no more manually tagging placeholders.

The result? More accurate layouts and less time tweaking designs.

Built-In Compliance Checks

From regulatory symbols to branding rules, AI can flag issues before they become delays.

Your reviewers get support in spotting what matters—without relying solely on memory or manual lists.

“AI is a valuable assistant in the compliance process, simplifying tasks that were once complex and time-consuming,” states David Smith, Esko Product Manager.

Cue sighs of relief.

Efficiency That Pays Off

Whether you’re scaling to new markets or integrating newly acquired products, AI helps you do more with the team you already have.

Less manual effort? Check.

Higher quality? Check.

Faster market readiness? Absolutely.

What’s Next for Life Sciences Leaders

AI and automation are already making waves in labeling and packaging—but the journey is far from over.

Here’s what’s coming next:

Automated Leaflet Creation

Leaflets are among the most complex and heavily regulated assets.

Esko is actively developing solutions to automate their creation. Watch our recent webinar to learn how automation is making leaflet creation faster, easier, and more compliant—while setting the stage for the move to e-leaflets.

In blog banner for blog titled, "Automation & AI in Life Sciences Artwork & Labeling: Are You Ready?"

The Leap to Full Automation

After years of semi-automation in cartons and labels, the future will be full automation—supported by smarter rules, more intuitive tools, and ongoing AI evolution.

We’re all for it.

A Living Maturity Model

This isn’t a “set it and forget it” metamorphosis.

Leading companies are embracing a dynamic roadmap, expanding their automation capabilities phase by phase.

The Esko Digital Maturity Model creates a template for life sciences teams seeking to move from manual, reactive processes to intelligent automation.

The goal is to harness the value resulting from increases in maturity to generate speed, maintain compliance, and improve cost efficiency.

Smarter, Safer, Scalable Compliance

AI won’t replace your regulatory or labeling teams.

On the contrary, it will empower them.

Simply put, the future of labeling isn’t just digital. It’s intelligent.

And it’s already here.

Learn more about Esko solutions.

About the Author

Alexandra Blanck, a member of the Esko Corporate Marketing team, is known for her dedication to crafting engaging content that resonates with global audiences. As a Content Manager, she brings a strong editorial perspective and strategic insight to Esko’s communications, with a passion for turning complex topics into compelling narratives. Beyond her work at Esko, Alexandra is known for her creativity and storytelling expertise with a diverse writing portfolio that spans lifestyle features, fiction, and poetry.