OBJECTIVE  To explore the application of artificial intelligence(AI) in medicine through bibliometric analysis, reveal the research hotspots and development trends in this field, and provide a scientific basis and reference for subsequent in-depth research.

METHODS  Searched the relevant literature in the Web of Science Core Collection database, with a search time range from the establishment of the database to November 18, 2024. CiteSpace 6.4.R1 software was used to visualize and analyze the data on the number of publications, country of publication, institution of publication, journal of publication, co-citation network, and keywords.

RESULTS  A total of 24039 relevant literatures were included. The overall trend of the number of literature issuance related to AI applied to the pharmaceutical field showed an upward trend; The number of articles issued by China and the United States far exceeds that of other countries and regions, with the total number of articles accounting for 51.978%(12495 articles); University of California System was the organization with the largest number of articles(703 articles); Scientific Reports was the journal with the largest number of articles(500 articles); the results of keyword analysis showed that the high-frequency keywords in related literature include machine learning, artificial intelligence, prediction, drug discovery, etc.; all keywords form six clusters, including #0 drug discovery, #1 virtual reality, etc.; the most recent emergent words include breast cancer, dynamics, inflammation, growth.

CONCLUSION  In recent years, the application of AI in the field of medicine has gradually become the focus of attention, and the hotspots and frontiers of research focus on the application of machine learning, virtual reality, and other technologies in disease diagnosis, disease treatment, drug discovery, and drug design. It is recommended that scholars need to keep up with the research hotspots and frontiers and focus on improving the research quality and international influence while continuously deepening the research.