Information Retrieval Meeting 2024 - the next level: mega databases, artificial intelligence and now?

The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) has invited international experts in the field of information retrieval to discuss artificial intelligence (AI), mega databases, new technical tools, and the foreseeable impact on information retrieval. Workshops with a high degree of practical relevance and personal networking aim to inform and inspire participants to make use of modern digital options in their daily work.

Renowned researchers will answer questions about the technical tools and personal skills required for efficient data management: Aaron Tay from the Singapore Management University will kick things off with his keynote speech on the trends that could drastically change information retrieval in the next decade: mega databases such as Semantic Scholar, Lens.org and OpenAlex or GPT-based AI tools.

In their workshops, Harrisen Scells from the University of Leipzig will then explain what options Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) already offer, while Ian Shemilt from the EPPI Centre at the University College London will outline the latest advances in using OpenAlex to efficiently and automatically update systematic reviews.

In the afternoon workshops, Rabea Müller from the Central Library of Medicine in Cologne will present the Library Carpentries, a tool for librarians and information specialists, focusing on three programmes: the dynamic and versatile programming language Python, the version management software Git, and the traditional user interface Unix Shell for Unix operating systems. Amy Finnegan from the British HTA agency NICE will present a pilot project for the automated exclusion of non-human studies in searches for scientific literature. She will also discuss with participants how much programming knowledge information specialists should have.

IQWiG's IRM Day will conclude with a joint discussion of questions about the future of information retrieval: Will the new tools abolish the need for information specialists or merely change the job profile - and if so, how?