Transforming evidence synthesis: A systematic review of the evolution of automated meta-analysis in the age of AI

Abstract Exponential growth in scientific literature has heightened the demand for efficient evidence-based synthesis, driving the rise of the field of automated meta-analysis (AMA) powered by natural language processing and machine learning. This PRISMA systematic review introduces a structured framework for assessing the current state of AMA, based on screening 13,216 papers (2006–2024) and analyzing 61 studies across diverse domains. Findings reveal a predominant focus on automating data processing (52.5%), such as extraction and statistical modeling, while only 16.4% address advanced synthesis stages. Just one study (approximately 2%) explored preliminary full-process automation, highlighting a critical…