Program Schedule

Controlled terminologies have a long history of use in medicine. In the modern age, concept-based controlled terminologies have been the standard by which we have recorded, and dealt with, health data, especially in electronic records. For the literature, and some data repositories, the driver for the use of controlled terminologies was the need for better recall and more precise retrieval. Increasing computer power and storage have now led to remarkable improvements in NLP (Natural Language Processing). With the subsequent availability of huge amounts of data, especially text, the power of Deep Learning has enabled artifacts such as the generative text app ChatGPT. Have these and related developments obviated the need for controlled terminologies? Has the role of coding changed, and will it change going forward? What will be the role, if any, of terminology in 5 years? Will our ability to use terminology atrophy?