AI is increasingly helping physicians prepare conference presentations more efficiently, although experts emphasized that carefully structured prompting and rigorous human oversight remain essential.

AI tools, such as ChatGPT, are reshaping the workplace, including clinical practice and medical research. Although concerns remain about AI’s effect on employment, current evidence suggests that these technologies are improving productivity for many professionals.

According to the Harvard Business Review, large language models have made many US employees more efficient. However, much of the time saved is reinvested in additional work rather than reducing the overall workload.

A similar trend emerged in Germany. According to a YouGov survey commissioned by the job platform Indeed, 46% of employees reported using AI at work. Regular users estimated that AI saves them an average of 1.7 working hours each week, although 68% said they use that time to complete additional work.

Evidence also suggests that the effect of AI on employment varies according to professional experience. A 2025 study by Brynjolfsson and colleagues found that unemployment among US adults aged 22-25 years seeking jobs with high AI exposure was 13% higher than the national average. In contrast, experienced workers across industries were unaffected. Other studies found no statistically significant effect on employment in skilled trade or caregiving occupations.

Overall, AI is reshaping the labor market by changing the nature of human work rather than replacing it outright. However, it remains less effective for tasks requiring physical skills, empathy, creativity, complex causal reasoning, or highly specialized expertise.

This article outlines a structured prompting strategy that can help physicians reduce the time required to prepare conference presentations by more than 300 hours while maintaining or even improving presentation quality.

Building a Conference Presentation

AI agents such as Manus, developed by the Singapore-based company Monica in 2025, can perform literature searches, analyze data, generate text, write code, and create complete PowerPoint presentations with minimal human supervision.

However, presentations intended for international scientific meetings still require carefully structured prompts and thorough human reviews to ensure scientific accuracy and quality.

Pro Tip 1: Upload a Presentation Template

Start by uploading a PowerPoint template that includes the institution’s slide design, layout, and branding. Simply drag and drop the template into the AI agent’s chat window and use a prompt, such as: “Use the attached PowerPoint file as the template for slide design, overall layout, and institutional branding.”

Next, ask the AI agent to analyze the template and identify the design elements it should apply consistently throughout the presentation. For example: “Analyze the template and list the key formatting and design elements you will apply consistently throughout the presentation.”

If the output does not fully match your expectations, refine the instructions with additional prompts. For example: “Please include font size 10 for all footnotes as a required formatting standard.”

Pro Tip 2: Define the Scientific Content

Once the presentation format has been established, the next step is to provide clear instructions about scientific content. The initial prompt should define the objective and key requirements of the presentation as specifically as possible. For example: “Create a professional 25-slide presentation on the treatment of glioblastoma for fourth-year neurosurgery residents attending a neurosurgery congress. Use only evidence from PubMed-indexed studies published between 2023 and 2026.”

A prompt such as this will often generate a strong first draft. It can then be refined with more specific instructions, such as: “Prioritize phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials and large systematic reviews,” or “Include information on the molecular classification of glioblastoma.”

The most valuable part of this step is uploading any studies that should be included in the presentation. For example, users can upload the PDF of a key publication and prompt AI to incorporate its findings: “Please incorporate the findings from this study and cite the specified sections according to citation format X.”

Pro Tip 3: Upload Reference Material

Another useful step is to provide the AI agent with selected medical literature to reduce the risk for AI hallucinations, which refers to plausible-sounding but inaccurate information.

For example, when preparing a presentation on glioblastoma, uploading the latest European Association of Neuro-Oncology guidelines can help ensure that the content reflects the current clinical evidence.

Pro Tip 4: Review the Presentation

The final and most crucial step is manual verification.

Physicians should verify all references, numerical data, figures, and scientific conclusions before using an AI-generated presentation. When questions arise, AI can also be asked to identify the original source for a specific statement, allowing clinicians to verify the evidence more efficiently.

Preparing presentations for scientific meetings often adds to physicians’ clinical and research responsibilities. Reviewing the literature, evaluating evidence, and developing presentation slides can take weeks or even months. With well-structured prompts, AI agents can reduce the preparation time to hours or days.

AI can help physicians improve productivity and enhance their professional value when used correctly. At the same time, understanding how AI works can help clinicians recognize limitations and identify situations in which ChatGPT and similar tools cannot replace human expertise and clinical judgment.

This story was translated from Univadis Germany, part of the Medscape Professional Network.