Citadel AI Launches AI Governance Tool at Ono Pharmaceutical, a First for the Pharmaceutical Industry, Supporting Safe and Secure Business Transformation via Generative AI

Citadel AI (CEO: Hiroki Kobayashi; hereinafter "Citadel AI"), a provider of AI governance tools that strengthen management capabilities in the era of generative AI, announces that Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Osaka; President and Representative Director: Gyo Sagara; hereinafter "Ono Pharmaceutical") has fully adopted its AI governance tool, "Citadel Lens," to improve the safety and reliability of generative AI usage in its internal operations.

◼︎ Background of Deployment in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Corporate AI adoption is currently spreading across various departments, from the front lines to management. Balancing "offense and defense"—actively utilizing AI while simultaneously defending against security and reputational risks—has become critically important.

Citadel AI provides "Citadel Lens," an AI governance tool that enables "trustworthy AI" and promotes AI utilization. Citadel Lens is a unique, all-in-one product that supports the entire lifecycle of generative AI, from risk assessment during the introduction phase to real-time guardrails during the operational phase.

In the pharmaceutical industry, which is a life-related sector, the confidentiality and accuracy of handled information are paramount. Consequently, managing risks such as AI-generated errors (hallucinations), bias, and information security is a major challenge when introducing generative AI.

In recent years, competition and the need for speed in creating innovative pharmaceuticals and developing necessary technologies for drug discovery have intensified. For pharmaceutical companies to continue contributing to society through global drug creation, it is urgent to promote business transformation through digital transformation (DX) and to establish environments such as guidelines for promoting the use of generative AI. Ono Pharmaceutical is one of the companies advancing progressive DX initiatives in the pharmaceutical industry, and they have decided to fully implement the system after evaluating the capabilities of Citadel Lens in the field of AI governance.

◼︎ Future Outlook

Citadel Lens is a tool that appropriately detects and controls risks (response quality risks, security risks) in the input and output of generative AI applications.

Through the introduction of Citadel Lens at Ono Pharmaceutical, Citadel will provide a continuous quality verification process for the generative AI (such as corporate chatbots) used company-wide. This will not only maintain and improve the accuracy of generative AI responses but also enable the early detection and handling of unexpected risks, supporting the creation of an environment where employees can use AI with peace of mind. In the future, the company aims to strengthen AI governance as a platform that supports "offensive and defensive DX," with an eye toward applying AI governance to more advanced areas, including drug discovery research and pharmaceutical development processes.

Jun-yoshi Iseki, General Manager, IT I&O Department, Digital Technology Division, Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

We position the use of digital technologies, including generative AI, as a key factor in strengthening our competitiveness. As a company involved in healthcare and pharmaceuticals, we believe that ensuring the safety and reliability of digital technology is essential. With the introduction of Citadel Lens, we expect to automate the manual AI risk assessment that previously required significant time and effort, thereby establishing a system that allows us to promote innovation with a sense of speed.

Hiroki Kobayashi, CEO, Citadel AI

We are very honored that Ono Pharmaceutical, which contributes to people's lives and health, has adopted our Citadel Lens. The pharmaceutical industry is one that requires extremely high ethical standards and safety, and I am confident that building governance for generative AI usage there will become an important benchmark for the entire industry. Citadel AI will continue to contribute to Ono Pharmaceutical's safe and innovative AI utilization from a technical perspective.

【Overview of Ono Pharmaceutical】

Company Name: Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Location: Headquarters: 1-8-2 Kyutaromachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka (Registered Head Office: 2-1-5 Doshomachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka) Founded: 1717 Established: 1947 Capital: 17,358 million yen Business Description: Research, development, manufacturing, purchasing, and sales of various pharmaceuticals, primarily ethical drugs. For more details, please visit https://www.ono-pharma.com/ja

【Overview of Citadel AI】

Company Name: Citadel AI Inc. Location: Todaimae HiRAKU GATE 3-1, 2-3-10 Mukogaoka, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo Representative: Hiroki Kobayashi, CEO Established: December 10, 2020 Business Description: Providing AI governance tools that instantly and automatically detect and defend against risks caused by AI vulnerabilities at all stages from development to operation. URL: https://citadel-ai.com/ja/