Big Data and Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the pervasive technological revolution of our time, the natural evolution of a series of advances over decades in computing, algorithms, and the explosion of big data, culminating in two Nobel prizes awarded in 2024 for foundational inventions that enabled machine learning and artificial neural networks. The curious irony is that AI architectures, inspired by the structure of neuronal connections in the brain, are now maturing to augment our understanding of the brain and its pathologies, including epilepsy. AI has the potential to enhance, streamline, and transform the entire field of epilepsy, encompassing its diverse causes, mechanisms, and classifications. It can also assist in the use of neuroimaging, neurophysiological, and neuropsychological tools used to assess its presentations, as well as inform its clinical management. A basic understanding of the various facets of AI, along with a discussion of its range of applications in the diagnosis and treatment of individuals with epilepsy, is necessary.