According to a recent survey of MedTech sales representatives, those who use Artificial Intelligence (AI) at work are three times more likely to hit quota than those who do not. Similar patterns have emerged across other sales sectors as well. Salesforce’s 2026 State of Sales report found that sales teams that use AI tools are 3.7 times more likely to meet quota than those who do not.

The data makes a compelling case for AI adoption. Yet it also reveals a more complicated reality.

The MedTech survey revealed that most sales teams are not using AI for strategic purposes, such as identifying opportunities, prioritizing accounts, or research. Instead, AI is mostly deployed to complete administrative tasks, such as drafting emails and summarizing meetings.

This disconnect points to a larger question: Where does AI create the greatest value?

MedTech’s AI Adoption Paradox

The MedTech survey found that only 36% of respondents use AI at work on a regular or occasional basis – of course the converse means that nearly two-thirds of sales reps report no use at all.

So why aren’t more sales teams embracing AI?

Part of the answer lies in concerns around security, privacy, compliance, and organizational policy. Indeed, 60% of those who reported no AI use noted that their companies prohibit it entirely. But there may be another explanation as well.

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CRM systems improved visibility. Analytics platforms delivered reporting. Automation tools reduced manual work…And while these technologies have proven helpful, many of the MedTech industry’s biggest challenges are not administrative. They are strategic.

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Even among those who have adopted AI, many are still using it primarily for administrative type tasks. Just 11% of those surveyed use AI to uncover insights that they wouldn’t have been able to find otherwise such as researching new opportunities. Yet this is an activity that could influence sales and long-term market share growth. The challenge, therefore, is not about adoption. It is about understanding where AI creates the greatest value and providing ways to unlock that value..

Caution: AI’s Productivity Trap

Administrative work remains a significant burden for MedTech sales teams, with many reps spending large portions of their week documenting activities, updating customer relationship management (CRM) or similar systems, researching accounts, and managing schedules. Among AI users, most reported saving between four and six hours per week, while more than a quarter estimated they save more than six hours in administrative work. While those time savings are significant, it also raises an important question: what should sales reps be doing with that newly found time?

When asked what they would do if they could reclaim five to 10 additional hours every week, 62% said they would spend it preparing for calls and meetings. Nearly half (46%) said they would spend it meeting with customers and prospects. Others pointed to research and pipeline development. In essence, sales reps are looking for more time to engage in the activities that directly influence their sales outcomes.

Relationship-building will remain a fundamentally human activity. AI’s greatest value lies in removing the tasks that distract from that objective and allowing reps to spend more time focused on the work that matters most.

But the real challenge isn’t just productivity.

For years, commercial technology has promised to make sales teams more productive. CRM systems improved visibility. Analytics platforms delivered reporting. Automation tools reduced manual work.

And while these technologies have proven helpful, many of the MedTech industry’s biggest challenges are not administrative. They are strategic.

The survey shows that a whopping 84% of reps lose three to 10 hours a week to nonproductive tasks! And, when asked about the factors preventing them from hitting quota, survey respondents pointed to issues of account prioritization, lack of market insights, and the challenge of proving value to buyers. Similarly, when asked what would most improve their ability to grow pipeline, such things as discovering new providers and identifying new opportunities rose to the top.

Ultimately, the problem lies in deciding what deserves attention in the first place. And this challenge is becoming increasingly more difficult as MedTech commercialization grows more complex. While physicians remain critical stakeholders, purchasing decisions now involve a broader network of administrators, Value Analysis Committees, supply chain leaders, and finance teams. At the same time, hospital consolidation has concentrated purchasing power, making the financial case for a technology nearly as important as the clinical one.

Success in this environment increasingly depends on understanding not only who uses a product, but also how purchasing decisions are made, how contracts are structured, what reimbursement dynamics are at play, and where organizational priorities are shifting. That means a sales rep might have hundreds of potential opportunities within their territory, but only a limited number of hours to find them.

Unfortunately, more demographic data is not enough. Sales teams need detailed, data-driven guidance on where to go next, the fastest route to get there, and what to say when they arrive.

The Big Opportunity Most Teams Miss

Consider this common scenario: A surgery is cancelled at the last minute, creating an unexpected opening in a MedTech sales rep’s day. According to the survey, 63% of respondents would spend that newly found time catching up on calls and emails.

That seems reasonable, given that those tasks are waiting in our inboxes ready to be tackled.

But imagine if instead of turning to administrative work, that rep could immediately identify an account with declining procedure volume that threatens quota attainment, uncover a high-potential physician who has not been visited in months, or spot a nearby opportunity showing signs of competitive encroachment? These are the kinds of decisions that influence pipeline growth, improve performance, and ultimately achieve quota.

While one approach helps a rep complete their tasks more quickly, the other helps a rep determine which opportunities deserve attention. That distinction might seem subtle, but it represents a fundamental shift in how most commercial organizations are using AI to create value.

Why Context Matters

The reason many AI initiatives stop with productivity is simple. Drafting an email is largely a language issue. Identifying the next best opportunity, however, is a context issue. Most AI tools excel at language as they can summarize conversations, draft messages, and generate content well and quickly.

But MedTech commercialization operates within a highly specialized and complex environment.

The challenge is not a lack of technology, data, or information. Most companies are swimming in all three. Instead, the issue is turning fragmented information into actionable insight. And this distinction is not limited to MedTech either. McKinsey recently noted that while 80% of companies across sectors report using AI tools, many have yet to see meaningful results.

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Much of today’s AI is built around assistants that respond to prompts and complete specific tasks. The next evolution will likely involve systems that proactively find opportunities, identify risks, and recommend next steps before a sales rep even knows what to ask.

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For MedTech companies, context can mean not just understanding who a physician is, but also understanding where they practice, how decisions are made in their health system, what procedures are on the rise, what contracts are in place, and much more.

Absent of that context, AI can help teams work faster by tackling generic administrative tasks. But with that context, AI can help teams synthesize data and make better decisions. At its most useful, AI will not just understand the market. It will understand how that market intersects with a company’s products, customers, territories, and strategic priorities.

From Increased Productivity to Increased Intelligence

Much of today’s AI is built around assistants that respond to prompts and complete specific tasks. The next evolution will likely involve systems that proactively find opportunities, identify risks, and recommend next steps before a sales rep even knows what to ask.

In many cases, the most effective AI may be the kind that operates quietly in the background, surfacing opportunities, identifying risks, and providing relevant context at the moment a decision needs to be made. Rather than simply helping a sales rep draft an email, AI may help identify who should receive it. Rather than summarizing a meeting, it may help determine the next best opportunity. Rather than organizing information, it may help reveal which information matters most.

The organizations that gain the greatest advantage may be the ones that move beyond productivity and toward real commercial intelligence. In a market defined by growing complexity, limited time, and increasing competition, the ability to identify the right opportunity at the right moment will be far more valuable than saving a few minutes on administrative tasks.

For MedTech organizations, the way forward depends on a complex mix of market dynamics, customer behavior, territory priorities, competitive activity, and organizational goals. Any tool that can help teams navigate that environment will have the greatest long-term value. Intelligence technologies designed to reduce time spent on research, planning, data gathering, and administrative work allow teams to be laser-focused on activities that move the needle: building relationships, establishing trust, understanding customer needs, and helping providers adopt technologies that improve patient care.

The future of AI in MedTech is not about replacing the judgment of experienced sales professionals. Rather, it is about enhancing it with the right tools, context, and insight they need to make the best decisions and put novel medical innovation into the hands of practitioners.