# Merck’s $1B Agentic AI Bet Is Also a $29.5B Hedge Against Disaster - Date: 2026-04-22 - Category: Agentics Merck is betting $1 billion that AI agents can replace the revenue engine it loses when Keytruda's patent expires in 2028. That's not a technology story. That's a desperate company making the highest-stakes bet in pharma. ---