Digital Technology and AI SIG

Established August 2017

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Mission Statement

The mission of the Digital Technology and Artificial Intelligence Special Interest Group (SIG) is to promote the incorporation of digital and artificial intelligence (AI) (including generative AI) technologies and tools within pharmacoepidemiological research in an ethical, transparent and scientifically rigorous manner so as to improve the efficiency and quality of real world evidence (RWE) generation.  Specifically, the SIG seeks to:

1. Provide an interdisciplinary forum for a) discussing challenges and opportunities regarding the application of digital technologies and AI in pharmacoepidemiologic research, and b) sharing good practices, reporting standards, and innovative approaches.
2. Promote skill-building related to the application of digital technologies and AI in pharmacoepidemiological research.
3. Foster networking, education, and collaboration among ISPE members interested in or already utilizing digital technologies and AI in pharmacoepidemiologic research.
4. Elevate ISPE’s leadership and visibility in the application of digital technologies and AI in pharmacoepidemiology

 Key definitions

Digital Technologies encompass a wide range of tools, systems, and methodologies that collect, process, and analyze data to support pharmacoepidemiologic research. This includes electronic medical records and claims data, patient-generated data (such as through mobile apps or surveys), wearable devices, synthetic data and other connected health technologies.

We define Artificial Intelligence (AI) as the use of computational methods and systems that simulate human intelligence to analyze data, identify patterns, and make decisions or predictions. In the context of pharmacoepidemiologic research, AI encompasses methods such as machine learning, natural language processing, and generative AI tools (including large language models (LLMs)), which enhance data analysis, real-world data/evidence generation, and study design.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is a subset of AI that focuses on creating new content such as text, images, audio, and software code that mimics human creativity and intelligence.  

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SIG leader(s)