Basic Knowledge of AI for Clinicians

The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and its integration into healthcare presents significant opportunities for transforming pain research and management. This chapter briefly introduces basic knowledge of AI including AI history and applications of machine learning and artificial neural architectures. Therefore, it focuses on the concept of automatic pain assessment (APA), highlighting its potential to offer more objective insights into pain assessment through different approaches such as biosignals, imaging, and behavioral methods. Specifically, a combination of different techniques, including facial expression analysis and physiological monitoring, is proposed as a potential solution for objectively pain assessment. The goal of data-driven AI methods is the development of applications for personalized pain management strategies. Finally, this chapter stresses the need for interdisciplinary collaboration among clinicians, bioengineers, and AI researchers to further the practical implementation of APA methods.