Artificial Intelligence in Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly influencing healthcare, with growing relevance in infectious diseases and clinical microbiology. This review summarizes current applications of machine learning (ML), deep learning (DL), and large language models (LLMs) in these areas while critically evaluating their strengths and limitations. Although AI has shown promising performance in image analysis, molecular diagnostics, risk prediction, and clinical decision support, its routine implementation remains constrained by limited external validation, heterogeneous datasets, algorithmic bias, and challenges in generalizability and explainability. The review also discusses AI's emerging role in scientific writing and the ethical and practical considerations associated with its clinical adoption. Overall, current evidence suggests that AI should be regarded as a complementary decision-support technology whose safe and effective integration depends on rigorous validation, high-quality data, and appropriate clinical oversight.