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Do you remember the catchy tune ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ released by The Buggles in 1979? The song became the anthem of a technological revolution. However, radio was not replaced – after all, radio is still around today. No, the competing medium sung about in the song, video, did not replace radio. Today, both media exist in parallel and complement each other. Forty years later, we are asking ourselves a similar question: Will AI agents make the classic customer portal obsolete? Or will we once again experience a symbiosis that brings together the tried and tested with the new and highlights the strengths of both systems?

The answer is clear, at least for us at adesso Life Sciences: symbiosis instead of competition. AI agents and customer portals will enable the life sciences, healthcare and medtech industries to enter a new dimension of digital interaction, both in terms of regulation and innovation.

Between hype and reality

The IT industry loves trends that are hailed as ‘game changers’. As was to be expected, artificial intelligence (AI) is currently finding its way into all areas of everyday life. Every day, new ways of using AI and integrating it into everyday life are being published. The phenomenon has long since reached the consumer market. Companies are increasingly incorporating AI solutions into their existing customer portals to increase efficiency and optimise user engagement. This is because AI offers the possibility of partially or completely automating tasks, optimising data flows and delivering tailor-made, personalised user experiences. Since customer portals represent the image and service unit of many companies, the question of implementing AI into the customer service structure is understandable.

In keeping with the hype, people often talk about AI in an undifferentiated way, because anyone who integrates AI is riding the wave of the trend. But what exactly does that mean? When we talk about AI in general terms, we can distinguish between different use cases or types of AI. In general, we differentiate between three types of artificial intelligence in a very simplified way:

  • 1. Analytical AI: This is rule-based, evaluates data and supports, for example, forecasts, segmentation or analyses. It is also often referred to as ‘classic AI’. It often forms the invisible basis for other systems.
  • 2. Generative AI: Models such as GPT or Gemini that use large language models (LLM) to generate text or content – extrapolated from a sufficient amount of training data.
  • 3. AI agents: These are actionable, semi-autonomous systems that pursue a specific goal.

Fully integrated customer portals

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With fully integrated customer portals, you can create personalised experiences, increase efficiency and strengthen the trust of your target groups – whether they are patients, medical staff or partners. adesso supports you from strategy to implementation with in-depth industry expertise and modern technologies.

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The integration of individual AI solutions, or a system based on different AI use cases, can create new opportunities for B2B or B2C communication.

The question of whether customer portals are still relevant or should be replaced by AI agents is becoming increasingly pressing.

Our position is clear: AI is not a trend, but a necessity – yet customer portals remain the indispensable backbone of digital interaction, especially in patient-centric industries such as life sciences, healthcare and medtech.

The symbiosis of AI agent and customer portal

Customers expect proactive support, self-service options and on-demand access to important information. A fully integrated customer portal meets these requirements and offers valuable benefits for both companies and customers, as my colleague Markus Grefer has already highlighted in his blog article ‘From vision to reality – How a customer portal transforms processes and inspires users’. Here is a brief overview:

Benefits for companies:
  • Increased efficiency:
    • Reduction in queries thanks to transparent processes (e.g. for status queries in complaint management).
    • Faster time-to-market through agile methods and prioritisation.
  • Cost reduction: Consolidation of processes and avoidance of redundant solutions.
  • Improved collaboration: IT is perceived as a strategic partner, not just a service provider.
  • Optimised resource allocation: Elimination of shadow IT and centralised solutions.
Advantages for customers:
  • Time savings: Direct access to relevant information such as certificates, documentation and software updates.
  • Independence: Ability to manage enquiries and processes independently (e.g. for complaints or licence management).
  • Personalised experiences: Recommendations and services based on usage data.
  • Low barriers to entry: Easy registration and use thanks to intuitive designs and flexible access models.

The advantages of a customer portal – even without AI – are evident. However, the integration of AI solutions allows for further optimisation: as data-driven systems, AI agents can build on and adopt the consistent master data, documented processes and user journeys of a customer portal.

AI agents take on specialised, repetitive or data-intensive tasks that make customer service more efficient. They can detect anomalies in machine data, identify relevant documents for specific roles or act as first-line agents who receive customer enquiries and forward them to case management. But despite their capabilities, AI agents have their limits. Complex processes such as returns or contract management and compliance-critical documentation remain the domain of the customer portal. AI agents can therefore complement these portals, but not replace them.

Despite all the advantages that AI may have, it is equally important to consider the risks. There is a great temptation to view AI as a miracle cure that will eliminate all the legacy issues of digitalisation. However, this also harbours business and application-related risks and dangers. One potential danger is over-automation. Those who rely too heavily on AI risk losing sight of individual needs and overwhelming users. Not every request can be sensibly automated in its entirety, and humans remain indispensable in many processes. In addition, the use of AI platforms carries the risk of becoming dependent on a few large solution providers. This dependency could limit a company's innovative strength and independence in the long term. Another key issue is data security. The more data is processed by AI, the higher the requirements for data protection and IT security.

The opportunities and limitations of AI in a highly regulated environment

Personal and health information are among the most sensitive types of data. And that's not all that highly regulated environments in the healthcare, life sciences and medtech sectors have to deal with. Other standards and regulations also apply here, which strictly regulate both the customer portal and possible AI solutions. Examples include the Medical Device Regulation (MDR) and the German Medicinal Products Advertising Act (HWG). You can find out more about this in the previous blog post ‘Life sciences – a highly regulated project environment’. And by this point at the latest, it should be clear that there are definite limits to the possible use of AI that should be considered before jumping on the bandwagon.

Where can AI solutions create added value for companies in healthcare, life sciences and medtech, for example, and where are they unsuitable or even risky?

Where AI agents (can) create real added value:

1. Diagnostics: Assistant for test results

  • Highlight abnormal laboratory values and provide suitable studies.
  • Prepare structured requests to laboratories.
  • Provide information and assistance without making medical decisions.

2. MedTech: Service portal for maintenance and spare parts

  • Identify maintenance requirements and suggest spare parts.
  • Pre-fill service forms and answer product status queries.
  • Use data from portals or APIs, with user confirmation for critical steps.
Where AI agents are (or may be) unsuitable or risky:

1. Contract negotiations and pricing

  • No individual discounts or legally binding offers.
  • Processes are too complex, regulated and require human evaluation.

2. Medical advice or therapy recommendations

  • No diagnoses, medication suggestions or therapy alternatives.
  • Regulatory restrictions and ethical concerns.

Despite automation, personal contact remains essential in many cases, such as sensitive diagnoses or complex issues. Service portals offer the necessary flexibility to intelligently combine AI-supported and human services. Greater flexibility, proactive approaches and shorter response times are particularly advantageous during peak periods and benefit both sides.

Conclusion

The song ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ by The Buggles teaches us that new things rarely replace old things completely, but rather complement them. The same is true for AI agents and customer portals. Both technologies work hand in hand to take the customer experience to a new level. In the end, however, an honest question remains: How can a customer use an AI agent if there is no portal available for them to do so? Without the solid foundation of a portal, there is a risk of falling back into the chaos of parallel communication channels. A customer portal not only creates the technical basis for AI agents, but also the personal connection that is often lost in the digital world. The future lies not in either/or, but in both/and. AI agents and customer portals are growing together and jointly creating a new dimension of digital interaction. Companies that take advantage of this symbiosis will not only become more efficient, but also more customer-centric – and that is ultimately the real game changer.


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Picture Stefanie Ehrlich

Author Dr. Stefanie Ehrlich

Dr Stefanie Ehrlich has a PhD in biology and has been working as a managing consultant in the Life Sciences business line at adesso for several years. Her work focuses on consulting, project management and requirements engineering for life science and healthcare projects. She is particularly involved in doctor-patient communication and digital solutions for the pharmaceutical and life science industries.



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