Transforming Precision Pain Care with Artificial Intelligence

Chronic pain is highly prevalent worldwide and remains a major source of suffering, disability, and economic burden. Yet, many clinical pain conditions continue to be challenging to treat. Because pain is a complex, multidimensional experience shaped by various biological, etiological, psychological, and social factors, accurate diagnosis and effective management require comprehensive, personalized approaches. Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, such as machine learning and deep learning, have advanced rapidly over the past decade and are becoming a powerful aid in pain medicine. In this narrative review, we begin with a concise overview of the evolution of AI applications in pain care, and then highlight recent progress in integrating AI tools to analyze multimodal datasets, enhance pain diagnosis and assessment, predict pain progression, develop optimal treatment strategies, and select drugs to reduce opioid reliance. We next propose an evolving conceptual framework to support clinicians in making clinical decisions, monitoring, and optimizing the treatment for specific pain conditions, such as post-surgical pain and musculoskeletal pain. Finally, we discuss future opportunities and challenges for incorporating AI into precision and personalized pain care.