Biostatisticians

Biostatisticians do many tasks that today are already partly aided by computers and AI. For example, doing the math for sample-size calculations can be done with software tools, and recent studies show that AI chatbots like ChatGPT can often give nearly correct sample sizes ^[1]. AI tools can also help write analysis plans or even suggest computer code, since these jobs involve text and routine calculations ^[2].

However, these AI-generated answers are not perfect: one study found ChatGPT sometimes gave wrong or inconsistent numbers when asked more than once ^[1]. In practice, biostatisticians still check and fix AI outputs carefully. More creative tasks remain mostly human-led: designing new studies, interpreting results, and writing grant proposals still need expert judgment and cannot be fully automated.

In short, AI is used today to augment biostatistician work – helping with routine math and drafting – but experts still oversee every AI output ^{[2] [1]}.

AI tools for data analysis are widely available (for example, there are now hundreds of thousands of language models and analytics tools online ^[2]), so it is easy for workplaces to try them. Employers might adopt AI quickly if it saves time and money: biostatisticians are highly trained (and paid) professionals, so automating even parts of their job could cut costs. On the other hand, clinical research is very regulated, and mistakes can have serious consequences.

Studies note that AI can “hallucinate” or make up facts ^[2], so teams must verify results. For example, the same ChatGPT model gave different answers on repeated trials ^[1], which makes people cautious. Also, privacy rules limit using patient data with some AI services.

In short, adoption will be balanced: organizations like faster analysis but they move slowly because they need to trust the tools. Overall, most experts expect biostatisticians to keep using AI alongside their skills – speeding up routine parts while the human clears up any errors ^{[2] [1]}. This means the role changes (using new tools) but does not disappear, and human judgment remains very important.