The Biostatistics Innovations and Technology Exchange (BITE) series aims to foster a collaborative environment where faculty, staff, postdocs, and students can share highlights of their research, demonstrate technical skills, and showcase emerging technologies and software.Presenter Information
Zhenke Wu, PhD
Associate Professor of BiostatisticsTITLE: A Statistician's Guide to Integrating Generative AI into Scientific ResearchGenerative AI (GenAI) has rapidly evolved from the initial curiosity sparked by ChatGPT into a transformative technology with implications for knowledge representation and scientific discovery. For the field of statistics, which is a foundational language for scientific inquiry, the thoughtful adoption of GenAI tools presents a significant opportunity for innovation, education, and enhanced impact. This tutorial will provide a comprehensive overview of this new landscape. The session will highlight early successes that demonstrate GenAI's potential across key application areas. Examples include its use in medicine to accelerate drug discovery and enhance clinical trial design; its impact on biology in advancing genomic research and predicting protein structures; and its utility in healthcare for optimizing hospital operations and personalizing patient communication. We will outline best practices for statisticians to use GenAI tools effectively to enhance the quality and integrity of statistical work within large scientific teams.The tutorial will feature a series of practical demonstrations illustrating the integration of GenAI into a statistician's research workflow. These hands-on examples will include leveraging GenAI for automated code generation and debugging, conducting intelligent and rapid literature reviews, and using AI-powered tools for enhanced data exploration and hypothesis generation. The session will culminate in a structured interactive discussion, creating a forum for attendees to share what specific advances they hope to see or make in their respective fields. By the end of this tutorial, attendees will have a deeper understanding of the potential and pitfalls of GenAI, a practical framework for its integration, and a clearer vision for how to contribute to its responsible use and development within the statistical and the broader scientific community.