Small Sites, Big Tech, and the AI Hype Train in Clinical Trials

Are we actually innovating in clinical research… or just slapping AI buzzwords on old problems?

In this episode of Note to File, we go deep on:

Founder-led vs board-appointed CEOs – why "benevolent dictators" might actually get more done
Why eccentric weirdos sometimes make the best leaders (and the worst coworkers)
The wave of AI-in-clinical-research announcements (Florence, EISF, "chat with your data," etc.) and why so much of it is just… AI slop
What sites REALLY need from AI:
Auto-filing ISF docs
Building source from protocols
Actual agentic labor, not just another chat box
CTMS vs QuickBooks – why finances at research sites are still a mess
The tension between running a research site like a business vs. not selling your soul to PE-backed growth-at-all-costs
The rise of small, independent sites and what's actually working for them
Along the way we detour through National Fudge Day, World Sea Turtle Day, and whether loving vegetables is a valid qualification for being CEO.

If you're a site owner, coordinator, sponsor, CRO, or tech vendor who's tired of hype and wants unfiltered, practical talk about the future of sites + AI, this one's for you.

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