Most pharmacies are having financial issues basically due to being stuck in the middle of the battle between insurers, drug manufacturers, and PBMs over reimbursement rates, and having the weakest negotiating position of all of the parties.

AI probably will save the pharmacies some money, but IMO this will probably cause reimbursement rates to decline further, leaving the pharmacies in the same position as before.

https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/abs/10.1377/hlthaff.2024.0...

Of the 88,930 retail pharmacies operating during 2010–20, 29.4 percent had closed by 2021.

see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmacy_benefit_management