Use of Artificial Intelligence in Peer Review Among Top 100 Medical Journals

Abstract

The rapid growth of medical research publishing and preprint servers appears to be straining the peer review process, potentially causing a shortage of qualified reviewers and slower reviews. Repeated reviews of rejected manuscripts likely increase costs, raising concerns about the system’s efficiency and fairness. Innovative solutions are urgently needed.¹ Recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), particularly generative AI (GenAI), offer potential for enhancing peer review,² but its integration into this workflow varies by journals policy. A comprehensive survey of medical journals’ guidance is needed to understand attitudes toward AI-assisted peer review and the reasons.