#226 - Ex-Google Duplex Eng Lead on Disrupting $2B Clinical Trials with AI - Patrick Leung - Tech Lead Journal

Ever wondered how AI is being applied in the world of clinical trials where human lives are at stake?

In this episode, Patrick Leung, CTO of Faro Health and former Google Duplex Engineering Lead, reveals how AI is transforming the clinical trial process — a process that can cost up to $2 billion per drug and take over 10 years to complete. Patrick reveals how Faro Health’s AI systems generate complex clinical documentation in minutes instead of months in which hallucinations aren’t acceptable, while navigating the strict regulatory requirements of the healthcare industry.

Patrick also reflects on the evolution of AI technologies, the realities of large language models, and offers practical advice on how to thrive in the rapidly changing AI-driven era.

Key topics discussed:

The evolution of AI from image recognition and Google Duplex to LLMs
How Faro Health uses AI to transform clinical trial process
The challenges of applying AI in highly regulated industries
AI’s potential to save time and millions in clinical trials
How to tackle AI hallucinations and ensure high-quality outputs
Patrick’s thoughts on AGI and the future of AI beyond current capabilities
The viability and limitations of vibe coding
Strategies and advice for individuals to thrive in the AI era

Timestamps:

(00:00) Trailer & Intro
(02:09) Career Turning Points
(02:46) The Advancements of AI in the Past 10 Years
(04:13) Non-LLM Types of AI
(05:42) The Google Duplex
(07:28) The Use of AI in Faro Health
(09:44) Tackling AI Hallucination for Clinical Documents
(12:25) Building the Evaluation Process on AI Results
(14:28) AI as a Research Assistant
(16:40) The Need of Building Custom AI Model
(18:50) The Huge Impact of AI in Clinical Trials
(21:15) The Regulations on Applying AI Technology
(23:28) AI Success Stories in the Life Science Industry
(25:16) The Possibility of AGI
(28:36) The Path to AGI Using LLM
(30:43) Actions People Should Take in the AI Era
(35:48) AI Engineers and AI-Enabled Engineers
(38:37) The Viability of Vibe Coding
(41:03) Hiring AI Engineers
(42:26) Important Engineer Attributes in the AI Era
(44:23) Important Leader Attributes in the AI Era
(46:59) The Room for Juniors in the AI Era
(49:04) Inspirational Story of a Successful Junior
(51:33) 3 Tech Lead Wisdom

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Patrick Leung’s Bio
Patrick Leung is a Chief Technology Officer at Faro Health, a company at the forefront of optimizing clinical trial development through the use of artificial intelligence.

In his role, he is instrumental in applying large language models and other AI technologies to enhance protocol design and outcomes for clinical trials. A native of New Zealand, Mr. Leung holds degrees in Computer Science and Finance.

His career includes being a foundational member of an early e-commerce software company, where he played a key role in guiding the company from its initial stages to a successful initial public offering.

Follow Patrick:

LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/puiwah
Twitter – x.com/puiwah
Website – farohealth.com

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Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/226.
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