The future of AI in retail pharmacy: Trends defining the modern pharmacy

Where AI actually fits into retail pharmacy’s future

Answers were more nuanced than a simple “AI will fix this.” Expanding clinical services came up repeatedly as a top priority, but pharmacy leaders were far from unified on how central AI will be to getting there: Some see it as essential, others as a helpful but secondary part of workflows.

A few forces are pushing this along at once:

• A shortage of primary care physicians is driving more patients toward pharmacies for everyday care.
• Consumer comfort with pharmacist-led care is on the rise.
• Pharmacies are under pressure to find new revenue streams beyond the prescription counter.

What they agreed on more consistently was where AI’s clearest value shows up: not in replacing clinical judgment, but in streamlining administrative and research tasks so pharmacists have more time for the parts of the job only they can do.

The operational reality behind clinical expansion

Pharmacists are stretched across dispensing activities, patient counseling, and an expanding list of clinical services, and the workflows built for daily tasks don't always support that growth. The result is a reliance on manual exceptions and workarounds, whether that's a veterinary dosing question, a test-and-treat protocol, or reimbursement rules that vary state to state. It is this inconsistency that makes it harder to scale advanced care operations with confidence.

Views on whether AI could ease that strain were mixed among respondents: Pharmacists split on its impact on workflow efficiency, although most agreed it holds real potential for reducing administrative burden.

AI and retail pharmacy’s next chapter

When pharmacy leaders were asked about the areas in which AI could deliver the most value, 76% said freeing up time for patient-facing work. That far outweighed the 8% that saw supporting clinical decision-making as its primary value.

When it comes to scaling clinical services, respondents equally rated three primary barriers: time, reimbursement challenges, and lack of integrated technology.

Meanwhile, respondents said they anticipate patients wanting both an increase in clinical offerings and enhanced customer service.

For the full picture, including where pharmacy leaders are united and where they disagree on AI’s role in retail pharmacy, download our infographic.