Eastaugh Claire H, Still Madeleine, Beyer Fiona R, Wallace Sheila A, O'Keefe Hannah
NIHR Innovation Observatory Newcastle University Newcastle-upon-Tyne UK.
Population Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle-upon-Tyne UK.
Cochrane Evid Synth Methods. 2025 Sep 7;3(5):e70049. doi: 10.1002/cesm.70049. eCollection 2025 Sep.
Information retrieval is essential for evidence synthesis, but developing search strategies can be labor-intensive and time-consuming. Automating these processes would be of benefit and interest, though it is unclear if Information Specialists (IS) are willing to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) methodologies or how they currently use them. In January 2025, the NIHR Innovation Observatory and NIHR Methodology Incubator for Applied Health and Care Research co-sponsored the inaugural CORE Information Retrieval Forum, where attendees discussed AI's role in information retrieval.
The CORE Information Retrieval Forum hosted a Knowledge Café. Participation was voluntary, and attendees could choose one of six event-themed discussion tables including AI. To support each discussion, a QR code linking to a virtual collaboration tool (Padlet; padlet.com) and a poster in the exhibition space were available throughout the day for attendee contributions.
The CORE Information Retrieval Forum was attended by 131 IS from nine different types of organizations, with most from the UK and ten countries represented overall. Among the six discussion points available in the Knowledge Café, the AI table was the most popular, receiving the highest number of contributions ( = 49). Following the Forum, contributions to the AI topic were categorized into four themes: critical perception ( = 21), current uses ( = 19), specific tools ( = 2), and training wants/needs ( = 7).
While there are critical perspectives on the integration of AI in the IS space, this is not due to a reluctance to adapt and adopt but from a need for structure, education, training, ethical guidance, and systems to support the responsible use and transparency of AI. There is interest in automating repetitive and time-consuming tasks, but attendees reported a lack of appropriate supporting tools. More work is required to identify the suitability of currently available tools and their potential to complement the work conducted by IS.
信息检索对于证据综合至关重要，但制定检索策略可能需要耗费大量人力和时间。自动化这些流程将大有裨益且备受关注，不过尚不清楚信息专家（IS）是否愿意采用人工智能（AI）方法，以及他们目前如何使用这些方法。2025年1月，英国国家卫生研究院创新观察站和英国国家卫生研究院应用健康与护理研究方法孵化器共同主办了首届CORE信息检索论坛，与会者讨论了AI在信息检索中的作用。
CORE信息检索论坛举办了一场知识咖啡馆活动。参与是自愿的，与会者可以选择六个与活动主题相关的讨论桌之一，其中包括AI相关的讨论桌。为支持每场讨论，全天都提供一个链接到虚拟协作工具（Padlet；padlet.com）的二维码，以及展览空间中的一张海报，供与会者发表意见。
来自九种不同类型组织的131名信息专家参加了CORE信息检索论坛，其中大多数来自英国，总共代表了十个国家。在知识咖啡馆提供的六个讨论点中，AI讨论桌最受欢迎，收到的意见最多（=49）。论坛结束后，对AI主题的意见被归类为四个主题：批判性认知（=21）、当前用途（=19）、特定工具（=2）和培训需求（=7）。
虽然对于AI融入信息专家领域存在批判性观点，但这并非源于不愿适应和采用，而是由于需要结构、教育、培训、道德指导以及支持AI负责任使用和透明度的系统。人们对自动化重复性和耗时任务很感兴趣，但与会者报告称缺乏合适的支持工具。需要开展更多工作来确定现有工具的适用性及其补充信息专家所做工作的潜力。
