"What many people don’t know is that AI is already being used in medicine," said Eric Rubin, M.D., Ph.D., editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine and NEJM Group publications. "Our newest peer-reviewed journal, NEJM AI, will cover this rapidly changing field to deliver trusted, high-quality evidence and educational material to clinicians with the aim of improving health care for patients worldwide."
In the past decade, the Food and Drug Administration has approved AI-powered devices capable of reading medical imaging and assisting clinicians in making diagnoses. While many of these devices and programs meet regulatory standards, the medical community has been slow to see the potential of AI medical applications or adopt them. NEJM AI aims to be an essential resource for medical professionals who want an in-depth understanding of how breakthrough clinical applications in AI/ML will be evaluated to inform clinical practice.
"We're at a pivotal time in medicine with a new participant in medical decision making," said NEJM AI editor-in-chief, Isaac (Zak) Kohane, M.D., Ph.D. "AI is not a fad. It will revolutionize the way medicine is practiced and change the doctor-patient relationship. NEJM AI will apply the same rigorous standards as our flagship journal to determine which AI tools are ready for use in medical settings." Additional insights from Dr. Kohane and the editors are provided in these editorials by Kohane and Koller.
According to Statista, the market for AI in healthcare in 2021 was $11 billion (USD) worldwide, with that number expected to reach $188 billion by 2030. "With such growth, it's important that AI tools meet the same bar for medical evidence that is expected from other clinical interventions," said Charlotte Haug, M.D., Ph.D., Executive Editor of NEJM AI. "Our editorial team of clinical and biomedical informatics experts seeks to publish the most important trials designed to test an AI tool against an established standard, meeting high safety standards."
Community members are encouraged to listen to NEJM AI Grand Rounds, a podcast hosted by deputy editors Arjun (Raj) Manrai, Ph.D. and Andrew Beam, Ph.D., featuring informal conversations with experts exploring issues at the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and medicine. The journal also hosts virtual events to open dialogue around the value, ethics, and quality of medical AI.
NEJM AI will provide a range of perspectives on the critical ethical and legal challenges and risks around the development and deployment of AI in a clinical setting. Stimulating conversations among clinicians who use medical AI, developers of the technology, and patients who benefit from these applications is the mission of NEJM AI. Researchers are invited to submit their manuscripts for consideration or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with questions for the editors. Those with an interest in keeping abreast of this rapidly changing field may sign up for the newsletter or subscribe to NEJM AI.
About NEJM Group
NEJM Group creates high-quality medical resources for research, learning, practice and professional development designed to meet the demand for essential medical knowledge among academic researchers and teachers, physicians, clinicians, executives and others in medicine and health care. NEJM Group products include the New England Journal of Medicine, NEJM Evidence, NEJM AI, NEJM Catalyst, NEJM Journal Watch, NEJM Knowledge+, NEJM Healer, NEJM Resident 360, NEJM Yi Xue Qian Yan and NEJM Career Center. NEJM Group is a division of the Massachusetts Medical Society. For more information visit www.nejmgroup.org.
About NEJM AI
NEJM AI is an interdisciplinary journal that bridges fast-moving developments in AI, informatics, and technology in medicine with the application of these advancements to clinical practice. NEJM AI covers the application of AI methodologies and data science to biomedical informatics, connected health, telemedicine, medical images and imaging, personalized medicine, policy and regulation, and the ethical and medicolegal implications of AI. Visit https://ai.nejm.org for more details.