Moderna

How they deploy

Deployment model

Moderna runs AI from a central digital organization inside People and Digital Technology, which Tracey Franklin has led since Nov 2024 and which partners with every function to spread AI use, according to the 2025 Form 10-K. Moderna lets employees build their own tools: staff can create GPTs in ChatGPT Enterprise, learn through the AI Academy, and get help from a cohort of 100 Generative AI Champions chosen through a prompt contest (OpenAI case study, Apr 2024). Moderna's research teams build their own AI: the platform science organization under CTO of Research David Huss runs Lucy and the automated labs, and manufacturing runs AI and agentic systems in its plants, now under Chief Operating Officer Juan Andres.

Model providers

Moderna's employee AI runs on OpenAI. mChat, launched in May 2023, was Moderna's own instance of ChatGPT built on OpenAI's API, and ChatGPT Enterprise, built on GPT-4 when Moderna rolled it out in Apr 2024, became the company standard after Moderna's AI products team tested it against mChat and Copilot. Moderna's Jan 2026 shareholder letter says the OpenAI collaboration now supports how Moderna writes protocols and regulatory documents. In research, Moderna uses its own machine-learning algorithms to design and optimize mRNA, and David Huss said in Jun 2026 that Moderna pulls in public data through OpenAI and other large language models; Moderna has not named any other model provider.

Data and infrastructure

Moderna describes itself as cloud-native and selected Amazon Web Services in Aug 2020 as its preferred cloud provider and its standard for analytics and machine-learning workloads; Moderna's Drug Design Studio runs on AWS, and AWS says Moderna's manufacturing uses AWS cloud infrastructure and real-time analytics. The software that designs each patient's intismeran therapy is hosted in the cloud, according to the 2025 Form 10-K. ChatGPT Enterprise is a service hosted by OpenAI, outside Moderna's AWS environment. Moderna's Scientific Intelligence Engine pulls data from the mRNA platform, Moderna's internal experiments and clinical trials, and public datasets into connected data sets (Jun 2026).

Leadership

AI, data and platform leaders

AI org map

Central People and Digital Technology function; employees build their own GPTs; research builds its own AI

Moderna merged its HR and digital technology functions into People and Digital Technology in Nov 2024 under Tracey Franklin, Chief People and Digital Technology Officer, an Executive Committee member who reports to CEO Stéphane Bancel. The digital organization partners with every Moderna function to spread AI, and the Chief Technology and Information Security Officer reports to Franklin. Moderna's research AI is built in the platform science organization led by CTO of Research David Huss, and manufacturing, which runs agentic systems, moved under Chief Operating Officer Juan Andres in Oct 2026.

Moderna does not disclose how many people work on AI. Moderna's AI work sits in three places: People and Digital Technology under Tracey Franklin, which runs the employee AI platform, AI training and cybersecurity; the research platform science organization under CTO of Research David Huss, which builds Lucy and the automated labs; and employees across functions who build GPTs, supported by a cohort of 100 Generative AI Champions described in Apr 2024. Moderna cut about 50 roles, 10% of two digital departments, in Feb 2025, and its total workforce fell from about 5,800 at the end of 2024 to about 4,700 at the end of 2025.

Use cases

Moderna's employees had written more than 4,000 custom GPTs on ChatGPT Enterprise by Jan 2026, used in clinical development, regulatory writing, legal, HR, finance, brand and manufacturing work, alongside in-house AI for mRNA design, intismeran manufacturing and research automation. Moderna has not published a business return for any single AI use case. At company level, Moderna credits investments in AI and digital tools in part for cutting its annual operating expenses by about $2.2 billion in 2025, without saying how much of that came from AI.

Adoption

Moderna spread AI in three layers: machine learning in mRNA design and manufacturing, with its Drug Design Studio on AWS by 2020; an AI Academy for all employees from Dec 2021; and generative AI for every employee from 2023. mChat, launched in May 2023, had nearly 65% of Moderna employees as active users by Oct 2023 and more than 80% adoption by Apr 2024, when Moderna began moving about 3,000 employees onto ChatGPT Enterprise; within two months users averaged about 120 conversations a week and 40% of weekly active users had built GPTs. Stéphane Bancel said in Aug 2025 that 100% of Moderna's knowledge workers were active daily ChatGPT users, without saying how many employees count as knowledge workers, and Moderna's GPT count grew from 750 in Apr 2024 to more than 3,000 in Jun 2025 and more than 4,000 by Jan 2026.

By the numbers

Economics & controls

Recent signals

1. Oct 27, 2026

   Stéphane Bancel told STAT that Moderna is using AI and robotics to build a flywheel for lipid research that learns much faster than in its first 15 years.

   STAT via Boston Globe

2. Oct 24, 2026

   Merck and Moderna reported at ESMO that intismeran, which Moderna designs for each patient with machine-learning algorithms, plus pembrolizumab cut the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 42% against pembrolizumab alone in the Phase 3 INTerpath-001 trial.

   Cancer Network

3. Sep 30, 2026

   Moderna added a Chief Operating Officer role, bringing back Juan Andres from Oct 5, 2026 to lead manufacturing, and said Jerh Collins, Chief Technical Operations and Quality Officer, will retire.

   Moderna 8-K

4. Aug 31, 2026

   Tracey Franklin told California Management Review that Moderna is moving AI agents into day-to-day workflows, strongest in supply chain, digital and IT, HR and parts of R&D and operations.

   California Management Review

5. Jul 31, 2026

   David Berman said Moderna is using AI to develop its next neoantigen-selection algorithm for intismeran, as Moderna improved its 2026 GAAP operating expense outlook by about $0.2 billion.

   Q2 2026 earnings call transcript

6. Jun 25, 2026

   Moderna unveiled its Scientific Intelligence Engine, built around Lucy, which links AI, automated labs, internal and public data in continuous learning cycles.

   Moderna Science Day

7. May 1, 2026

   Stéphane Bancel said Moderna continues to invest in AI through cross-enterprise projects to reinvent work with AI.

   Q1 2026 earnings call transcript

8. Mar 16, 2026

   Moderna's proxy statement credited Board-approved investments in AI and digital tools in part for a $2.2 billion cut in 2025 operating expenses.

   2026 proxy statement

9. Feb 20, 2026

   Moderna's 2025 Form 10-K said Moderna scaled generative AI across the company in 2025 while strengthening responsible AI controls, and reported about 4,700 employees.

   2025 Form 10-K

10. Feb 13, 2026

    Stéphane Bancel said AI tools are now used in every part of Moderna's business as part of its cost efficiency program and that he expects further productivity gains in 2026.

    Q4 2025 earnings call transcript

11. Jan 5, 2026

    Stéphane Bancel's shareholder letter said Moderna employees had written more than 4,000 GPTs and that OpenAI tools now support protocol and regulatory writing.

    Shareholder letter

12. Jan 2026

    Brice Challamel, who led AI products at Moderna, joined OpenAI as Head of AI Strategy and Adoption.

    EdTech Innovation Hub

13. Nov 20, 2025

    Jerh Collins told Moderna's Analyst Day that agentic systems are running in Moderna's manufacturing facilities.

    Analyst Day transcript

14. Nov 6, 2025

    Stéphane Bancel reported a $2.1 billion cost improvement over four quarters and said Moderna is driving productivity with more digital tools, including a large number of GPTs, alongside R&D prioritization and supplier pricing.

    Q3 2025 earnings call transcript

Quick answers

How does Moderna deploy AI?

Moderna deploys AI mainly through OpenAI's ChatGPT Enterprise, rolled out company-wide in 2024 after an in-house chatbot, mChat; employees had written more than 4,000 custom GPTs by Jan 2026. Tracey Franklin, Chief People and Digital Technology Officer, has run the program since HR and IT merged in Nov 2024, while Moderna's research teams build their own AI on AWS. Moderna has reported no business return it credits to AI; its 2026 proxy credits AI and digital solutions only in part for about $2.2 billion of 2025 cost cuts.

What does Moderna use AI for?

Moderna's employees had written more than 4,000 custom GPTs on ChatGPT Enterprise by Jan 2026, used in clinical development, regulatory writing, legal, HR, finance, brand and manufacturing work, alongside in-house AI for mRNA design, intismeran manufacturing and research automation. Moderna has not published a business return for any single AI use case. At company level, Moderna credits investments in AI and digital tools in part for cutting its annual operating expenses by about $2.2 billion in 2025, without saying how much of that came from AI.

Who leads AI at Moderna?

AI at Moderna is led by Tracey Franklin (Chief People and Digital Technology Officer); David Huss (Chief Technology Officer, Research); Adrian Stone (Chief Information Security Officer). Ownership of AI on the org chart: Chief People and Digital Technology Officer, on the Executive Committee.

What AI platform does Moderna use?

ChatGPT Enterprise, rolled out across Moderna in 2024 after the in-house mChat chatbot, carries more than 4,000 employee-written GPTs (Jan 2026); Moderna's research teams build their own AI on AWS.

Which AI models does Moderna use?

OpenAI models power ChatGPT Enterprise and powered mChat; Moderna also runs in-house machine-learning algorithms for mRNA design and draws on outside language and biology models in research (Jun 2026).

How many Moderna employees use AI?

Stéphane Bancel said in Aug 2025 that 100% of Moderna's knowledge workers were active daily users of ChatGPT; mChat had reached more than 80% of employees before the 2024 move to ChatGPT Enterprise.

How far has AI spread at Moderna?

Moderna has reported no business return it credits to AI, for any use case or for the company as a whole: its Mar 2026 proxy says Board-approved investments in AI and digital solutions supported in part a roughly $2.2 billion cut in 2025 operating expenses, a broader cost program, without saying how much came from AI. Moderna reaches Piloting on its officially reported rollout: Stéphane Bancel said on the Aug 1, 2025 earnings call that 100% of Moderna's knowledge workers were active daily ChatGPT users, and Chief People and Digital Technology Officer Tracey Franklin, an Executive Committee member, leads the digital organization that spreads AI across Moderna. Moderna falls short of Scaling because no function has a return credited to AI and Moderna has no firm-level AI figure; Moderna has also not said how many of its roughly 4,700 employees count as knowledge workers.

Open questions

• Who leads AI products at Moderna since Brice Challamel left for OpenAI in Jan 2026, and does a dedicated AI products team remain?
• How much of Moderna's $2.2 billion operating expense cut in 2025 came from AI, as distinct from R&D prioritization, supplier pricing and manufacturing changes?
• What business return do Moderna's deployed GPTs and agents deliver, such as Dose ID, Contract Companion and Ask HR, given that Moderna has published none?
• How many of Moderna's roughly 4,700 employees count as knowledge workers in the Aug 2025 claim of 100% daily ChatGPT use, and how much do manufacturing and lab staff use AI?
• How many of Moderna's more than 4,000 GPTs are in active use, and how many AI agents run in production?
• What does Moderna spend on ChatGPT Enterprise and other AI tools, given that the terms with OpenAI were not disclosed?
• Which outside language and biology models feed Moderna's Scientific Intelligence Engine, and does Moderna use any model provider besides OpenAI for employees?
• What data may Moderna employees put into ChatGPT Enterprise, and where is that data stored?
• How many HR and other roles did Moderna eliminate or redesign because of GPTs and agents?
• Who holds Moderna's Chief Technology and Information Security Officer role, and has it absorbed the chief information officer's duties?
• Has Lucy produced a candidate or decision Moderna can point to, and how will Moderna validate an AI-built neoantigen-selection algorithm with regulators?

Sources