Health for All, Hunger for None: Bijoy Sagar talks about Bayer's AI-First Future Vision on the CAIO Connect Podcast

CAIO Connect Podcast: Host Sanjay Puri & Bayer’s Bijoy Sagar talks about AI’s role in health & agriculture—balancing speed, responsibility & purpose.

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, September 17, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In this week's episode of the CAIO Connect Podcast, host Sanjay Puri interviews Bijoy Sagar, Bayer's Chief Information and Digital Transformation Officer. From his early beginnings in R&D for pharmaceuticals to heading one of the world's most legendary life sciences companies, Bijoy has been a pioneer in applying technology to tackle humanity's greatest challenges—Health for All, Hunger for None.

This discussion goes far into how Bayer is embracing an AI-first business, from introducing MyGenAssist, a safe GenAI platform with more than 50,000 active users, to leading collaborations with Microsoft and Google for innovations in crop protection and drug discovery. Bijoy also paints his vision of transitioning from GenAI to Agentic AI, redesigning the enterprise intranet as a living AI interface, and enabling a future where decision velocity determines the rate of innovation.

Whether you’re an AI leader, entrepreneur, or simply curious about how artificial intelligence is reshaping life sciences, this episode offers invaluable insights on responsible AI adoption, scaling enterprise transformation, and building diverse, mission-driven teams. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing how business is conducted, and few sectors are touched by it as profoundly as medicine and agriculture. These industries provide the most basic human requirements- health and food, so they are ideal spaces to test the waters with AI ideas.

Bijoy Sagar is the Bayer Chief Information and Digital Transformation Officer. He added: “If you're an individual on the planet, you cannot exist without food and health. What greater way to assist than to tackle the simplest issues of humanity?”

Bayer's vision is "Health for all, Hunger for none." The company is applying AI in areas of its activities, from finding new drugs to preventing crop damage.

From the Lab to AI Leadership
Sagar began his career in pharmaceuticals but discovered that systems thinking as to how processes interconnect in the value stream, was an area he excelled at. Technology to him is a means and a way to simplify and facilitate how people collaborate.
This mindset led Bayer's AI focus. Rather than pushing humans to use it from the top down, Sagar encouraged growth organically. The company has over 50,000 active users now on its myGenAssist platform and has thousands of prompts internally generated by employees.

“With GenAI, it’s far better to allow adoption to scale bottom-up. People come up with use cases and create their own prompts on a daily basis”, says Bijoy.

Decision Velocity: AI’s True Value
Revolutions in technology have been all about velocity- horses to automobiles to internet information. Sagar is convinced the next great jump is decision velocity.

Bijoy notes, “Until now, humans had to make decisions at human scale. AI opens the possibility of decisions beyond our momentum and speed- if we use it wisely.” In life sciences, this could mean faster clinical trials, quicker drug discoveries, or smarter agricultural solutions.

Responsible and Ethical AI
However, in regulated areas like these, expedience cannot be at the cost of safety. Sagar points to the imperative of using AI responsibly. Bijoy remarks, "We have to always behave- and be seen to behave- in ethical, responsible, and compliant ways." This is why Bayer first incorporates AI into secondary support processes and workflows and only later applies it to high-stakes scientific decisions.

Purpose and People at the Center
While tech companies compete with billion-dollar paychecks, Bayer doesn't. It wins over employees with its mission-driven goal. "We don't offer billion-dollar deals. What we do offer is a mission: Health for all, hunger for none." Diversity is also paramount, particularly in healthcare where treatments might have different impacts on populations.

Looking Ahead
Sagar imagines a future in which the intranet is an active AI hub, agents managing work and selecting the best knowledge. This isn't tech evolution—it's people and company transformation. His guidance for leaders is straightforward but strong: "Be prepared to be wrong. That humility is the only way to stay right in a field evolving this fast."

Bayer's AI-first experience proves that it is all about the balance of innovation and responsibility, empowering employees, and grounding all in purpose. AI is not a tool; it is an opportunity to rethink how businesses generate value for society.


About CAIO Connect Podcast
Join tech entrepreneur, AI expert, and mentor Sanjay Puri as he delves into the world of AI leadership. Each episode unravels the challenges and triumphs faced by Chief AI Officers and dynamic founders, sharing insightful stories and experiences.

Upasana
Knowledge Networks
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