In his keynote, “When Digitalization Fails: The Future of AI Drug Discovery,” Daniel Haders II, Ph.D. addressed one of the central questions facing the industry: why billions of dollars have been invested in AI for drug discovery without a single AI-discovered medicine reaching approval. Presented at CPHI Middle East in Saudi Arabia, the talk explored why digital tools alone are not enough, arguing that AI drug discovery must begin with better problem definition, deeper biological insight, and rigorous experimental validation. The keynote also highlighted MDL-001, Model Medicines’ AI-discovered broad-spectrum antiviral, as an example of how AI can deliver when paired with novel biology and translational execution.