You have one shot to make a great first impression.

Your CEO is about to meet a top KOLs at a major conference. They need a crisp, insightful profile. Not a data dump, not a copy-paste from LinkedIn, but a strategic, high-value briefing that sets them up for a meaningful conversation.

So, a senior director, who is already stretched thin managing a massive MSL team, multiple new assets, and an ever-expanding workload, asked her team to put together KOL profiles ahead of these critical meetings.

The MLSs didn’t deliver.

With time running out, she had to do it herself, digging through publications, congress materials, and clinical trials just to pull together something usable.

This is crazy.

Naturally she was pretty annoyed. When she told me this story I thought, “This would have been so easy with AI.”

Instead of manually compiling every detail, AI can get you 70-80% of the way there in minutes, structuring a draft so you can focus on the strategy thinking side of things. The things AI can’t do.

Keep reading to learn how to use AI to build a KOL profile template, what to include, and how to make sure you look prepared and polished for your leadership team (and not annoy your boss).

Why Use AI for KOL Profiling?

Traditional KOL profiling is a time suck. It requires manually gathering information from multiple sources, including scientific publications, congress activity, social media presence, institutional affiliations, clinical trials, and insights from MSL engagements. Compiling all of this can take hours for each KOL.

AI helps streamline this by:

• Aggregating publicly available data such as papers, trials, and presentations
• Summarizing key themes and topics the KOL focuses on
• Identifying patterns in their scientific contributions
• Drafting a structured profile that can be reviewed and edited

While AI-generated profiles won’t be perfect, hallucinations happen, it’s always easier to refine an AI-generated draft than to start from a blank page.

Now let’s go step-by-step on how you can use AI to build a KOL profile.

Use AI Responsibly

Before we dive in, it’s important to highlight:

✅ Check your company’s policies: Some organizations restrict AI use, especially for sensitive data like KOL profiles. Always confirm what’s allowed before using AI for this purpose.

✅ Do NOT enter confidential information: Never input proprietary or non-public data (e.g., internal CRM notes, unpublished research) into an AI tool that is not approved by your company.

✅ AI-generated content must be verified: AI can summarize and structure information, but it can also generate incorrect or outdated details. Always fact-check and refine the output.

✅ AI is a starting point, not the final answer: Use AI as a tool to accelerate work, but apply human judgment to ensure accuracy, compliance, and strategic alignment.

Now, we’re ready to explore how AI can streamline KOL profiling in a responsible and compliant way.

How to Use AI to Build a KOL Profile Template

Step 1: Use AI to Generate a KOL Profile Template

Instead of creating a profile template from scratch, AI can generate a structured framework that you can modify based on the meeting’s purpose and strategic objectives.

Use this prompt to generate a KOL profile template:

“You are an experienced Sr. MSL specializing in KOL profiling. Help me make a profile template for an upcoming meeting between my CEO and a KOL. Make suggestions for what to include.”

If there is a specific format your team likes to use for KOL profiles, tell the AI about it. Remember that AI thrives on context. The more you give it the better the output tends to be.

Here is what ChatGPT suggested with this prompt:

Step 2: Review and Adjust the Template for Your CEO

AI will provide a structured draft, but before using it, make sure it aligns with what the CEO actually needs to know. You can see from the example above. This is way too long. No one will want to read all that.

This is where strategic thinking and creativity come into play. AI can organize data, but it can’t determine what’s most relevant or tailor insights to leadership priorities. Your role is to refine the profile so it is clear, concise, and actionable.

I told the AI to cut to the chase:

Here are some tips for building your own AI-generated KOL profile template if you don’t know what to focus on:

• KOL’s key areas of expertise: What makes them relevant to your company’s strategy?
• Recent research and contributions: What papers, trials, or data presentations have they been involved in?
• Previous interactions and sentiment: Have they engaged with your company before? Do they have strong opinions about your products or competitors?
• Strategic opportunities for this meeting: What are the key points your CEO should discuss with them?

If you’re unsure what’s most important, think like an executive. The CEO doesn’t need every detail, just enough to have a productive, high-impact conversation.

Watch the video to see how I worked with AI to make this even better.

Step 3: Complete the Profile with Relevant Information

Once the template is finalized, fill in the details for each KOL based on what matters for this specific meeting. If you are allowed to, you can ask AI to do it for you.

I asked to complete the profile as much as possible for Gil Yosipovitch. ChatGPT searched the web to find this info:

This is where your expertise as an MSL comes in. AI provides a framework, but you refine and personalize it to ensure the profile is accurate, relevant, and valuable. This info may not be 100% accurate but at least you didn’t spend a ton of time making the profile.

Bonus Step 4: Ask AI What Else to Consider

To ensure nothing is missed, use AI as a brainstorming tool to surface pro-moves.

Try this follow-up prompt:

“what else should i consider? how can i impress the CEO? and the kol?”

Here’s what it suggested:

I love the bonus move idea to provide a draft email for the CEO to follow-up.

This extra step makes you look incredibly prepared.

Refining your approach and get additional ideas is the BEST use case for AI in Medical Affairs. Download my guide for more creative ways to use AI 👇.

Conclusions: How To Use AI to Build a KOL Profile

AI isn’t here to replace MSLs. It’s here to make you more efficient.

Instead of spending hours formatting documents, you can use AI to generate a structured starting point and then focus your time on refining strategic aspects and preparing for impactful discussions.

You don’t get promoted for making a beautifully formatted KOL profile. You get promoted for making it useful.

By leveraging AI to save time and enhance strategic thinking, you position yourself as a high-value, strategic MSL. Not just an information gatherer.

Level up with my AI for MSL Excellence Team Training

Don’t let your team fall behind when it comes to AI. Contact me about team training on AI.

In this training, the team will learn how to:

• Use AI to work faster and smarter
• Generate high-impact KOL profiles
• Apply AI responsibly in Medical Affairs