Large language models, updates, and evaluation of automation tools for systematic reviews: a summary of significant discussions at the eighth meeting of the International Collaboration for the Automation of Systematic Reviews (ICASR)

Abstract

The eighth meeting of the International Collaboration for the Automation of Systematic Reviews (ICASR) was held on September 7 and 8, 2023, at the University College London, London, England. ICASR is an interdisciplinary group whose goal is to maximize the use of technology for conducting rapid, accurate, and efficient evidence synthesis, e.g., systematic reviews, evidence maps, and scoping reviews of scientific evidence. In 2023, the major themes discussed were understanding the benefits and harms of automation tools that have become available in recent years, the advantages and disadvantages of large language models in evidence synthesis, and approaches to ensuring the validity of tools for the proposed task.