2° Annual Meeting of AIONS

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into surgical care represents a transformative shift in how surgery is planned, executed, and evaluated. As AIdriven tools increasingly influence decision-making, intraoperative performance, and postoperative outcomes, there is a growing need for structured, interdisciplinary dialogue to ensure their responsible, ethical, and effective adoption. The Artificial Intelligence Organization of the Next-generation Surgeons (AIONS) was established to address this need by providing a global, collaborative platform dedicated to advancing the judicious integration of AI across the surgical disciplines.

AIONS is a not-for-profit international society committed to uniting interventionalists – including surgeons, interventional endoscopists, and radiologists – with computer scientists, engineers, ethicists, and industry partners. By fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration, AIONS seeks to shape the future of surgical innovation while prioritizing patient safety, transparency, and equity. The name “AIONS” is derived from the Greek concept of eternity and the mythological figure representing cyclical time (Eon), reflecting the organization’s long-term vision for sustainable and responsible technological progress. AIONS also stands for the Artificial Intelligence Organization of the Next-generation Surgeons, underscoring its focus on education, leadership, and innovation for future surgical practice.

The inaugural combined conference of the journal Artificial Intelligence Surgery and AIONS marked an important milestone in this effort. That meeting centered on a Consensus Conference involving members of the journal’s editorial board, with the primary objective of establishing foundational definitions for surgery in the era of artificial intelligence.
Key concepts addressed included surgical robotics, collaborative robotics (cobots), robotic-assisted surgery, surgical autonomy, endoluminal surgery, percutaneous interventions, and non-invasive surgical techniques.

Building upon this foundational work, the Second Annual AIONS Meeting expands both in scope and ambition. In addition to continued efforts to refine definitions and conceptual frameworks, this meeting will introduce a dedicated Guidelines Conference focused on the safe, ethical, and evidence-based introduction of AI into surgical practice.
The objectives of this year’s meeting are to develop preliminary consensusdriven guidelines, identify best practices for implementation, and address critical issues related to validation, governance, accountability, and clinician oversight. Through these efforts, AIONS aims to serve as a bridge between surgical innovators, academic leaders, and industry stakeholders, ensuring that advances in AI meaningfully and safely improve the care of surgical patients worldwide.