At BenchSci, we genuinely believe that Generative (GenAI) is poised to transform industries and the way we do things. We’re building that future for life sciences, with our ASCEND platform, helping scientists unravel disease biology at scale. But our dedication to AI doesn’t stop with the products we’re building. It’s also about how we work every day here at BenchSci.
We’re living through one of the greatest technological revolutions in history. As I often remind my team, those who fail to embrace AI risk being left behind—not by the technology itself but by peers who have mastered it. As NVIDIA’s CEO, Jensen Huang, aptly puts it, “You’re not going to lose your job to an AI, but to someone who uses AI.”
Earlier this year, we shifted to become an AI-first company, which has become our guiding principle. Before adding new people or processes, we ask: “Could AI do this?” By integrating AI into our workflows, we’re optimizing processes, reducing inefficiencies, and enabling our team to focus on what matters most: solving problems, thinking big, and collaborating.
Here’s a closer look at what it means to be an “AI-first” company at BenchSci and the real-world impact we’re already seeing in our day-to-day work as we continue to build a smarter, leaner organization.
An "AI-first" culture is one that is relentlessly focused on results. We will succeed not by simply adopting AI tools, but by using them to achieve measurable gains in productivity and accelerate our impact, while ensuring that we are using these tools in ethical and responsible ways that keep our data safe. We’ve put clear policies and safeguards in place to build trust and accountability. We also believe that while our team should embed AI into their workflows, they remain responsible for the work they produce with its assistance. This ensures proper oversight, ethical application, and a human touch in every decision.
To make this vision a reality, we’ve rolled out company-wide tools like Gemini for Google Workspace and NotebookLM. And because we know every team has unique needs, we’ve also created streamlined ways for individuals and teams to try out specialized AI tools while ensuring that we continue to align with rigorous data safety and responsible AI practices.
We’re strategically embedding AI in areas where it can make the biggest impact.
For example, in talent acquisition, we’re working towards AI automating repetitive hiring workflows, so our recruiters can spend more time with candidates and making strategic decisions. Similarly, we’re using AI to streamline operations and accelerate our delivery across departments, boosting efficiency and freeing up time and resources for innovation. Ultimately, the goal is pretty straightforward: become more efficient and give our team the tools they need to be successful.
Curious about the real-world impact of AI in our daily operations? Here's a look at how our teams are leveraging it.
High Gemini for Workspaces Adoption
Since introducing Google’s Gemini for Workspaces last year, 89% of our team has adopted it to streamline workflows and boost productivity. Our talent team has embraced Gemini to create dynamic onboarding content using Google Vids, simplifying training material updates. In operations, Gemini analyzes and summarizes complex documentation, helping teams build strategies and processes in hours instead of days, like optimizing the science ticket triage process. Our teams also leverage Gemini to transform meeting notes into concise, actionable briefs, ensuring clear communication and saving time.
Internal Hackathons
Since the rise of LLMs, we’ve organized three company-wide hackathons, plus many team-level events. These have sparked dozens of fresh ideas, with many already put into action. Our hackathons are providing grounds for creativity, collaboration, and practical AI solutions.
One example that really stands out is a project that rethinks how scientists find visual evidence on our platform. It puts BenchSci-recommended figures earlier in our Target Assessment app and Q&A assistant. This helps users find the important visual evidence they need with less hassle, making the whole experience smoother and more useful. Not only does this improve how our users interact with the product, but it's also a unique, research-backed feature.
These hackathons are more than just a place to brainstorm. They’re a clear demonstration of how we’re leveraging AI to solve real problems, drive innovation, and create value across our entire organization.
Knowledge Management with Notebook LLMs
In our fast-paced, multi-disciplinary environment, getting quick access to the right information is critical. That’s why we’re using NotebookLM to build self-serve knowledge bases, customized for different projects and initiatives. These dynamic notebooks help new team members get up to speed faster and ensure everyone can find the insights they need, exactly when they need them.
Our product marketing team uses NotebookLM to consolidate up-to-date data about our competitive intelligence and product positioning, which saves our small but mighty team approximately 8.5 to 11 hours a week.
These resources also help sales, accounts, and product teams quickly access key product information, allowing them to tailor sales and enablement materials with precision. Additionally, we use Gems to transform text into our brand voice, making sure everything from our platform to marketing collateral has a consistent, unified tone.
The Road Ahead
Our commitment to generative AI goes beyond adopting new tools. It’s about fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation. We’re experimenting, iterating, and refining our approach every step of the way. Our mission is to exponentially improve the speed and quality of life-saving R&D, and by empowering our team to work smarter, we can have an even greater impact on the scientific community.