The University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy held its 41st annual Seminar By the Sea Northeast Regional Conference on March 19-20, focusing on the growing role of artificial intelligence in health care and pharmacy practice. The event featured interactive sessions that integrated AI into real-world medication management workflows.
Organizers said the decision to embed AI throughout the program, rather than treat it as a separate topic, was intended to help pharmacists engage with new technologies responsibly. Mary-Jane Kanaczet, director of continuing professional development, said, “The session was designed to be highly interactive, allowing pharmacists to engage directly with these tools and consider how they can be applied responsibly in practice.” She added that conversations about AI were woven throughout the conference as part of a focus on translating emerging tools into safe and effective patient care.
Dean Kerry LaPlante highlighted efforts by the College of Pharmacy to prepare students for changes brought by AI. “AI has tremendous potential to enhance how we deliver medication-related care, but it must be approached thoughtfully,” LaPlante said. “Our responsibility as a college is to prepare pharmacists who can critically evaluate these tools, integrate them safely into practice, and always keep patient care at the center.”
Conference activities included an exercise where participants questioned an AI platform about health issues and evaluated its responses. Professors Brett Ferret, Jeffrey Bratberg, and Todd Brothers led this session by showing attendees how specific queries affect results from such platforms. For example, when asked if combining Linezolid with fentanyl is a cause for concern, the AI advised careful monitoring but included a disclaimer: “I am not a physician or pharmacist.”
Sean Jeffrey from the University of Connecticut discussed future developments in artificial intelligence during his presentation “Promise and Pitfalls of AI in Pharmacy Practice.” He spoke about progress toward Artificial General Intelligence—where machines learn independently—and Artificial Super Intelligence—where machines could exceed human capabilities. Jeffrey said some scientists believe this level could be reached within four years: “The tech doesn’t matter if people don’t trust it.” He also emphasized keeping humans involved in clinical decisions despite increasing automation: “We’re moving closer to clinical services being performed without a human… We need to keep humans in the loop.”
Other sessions addressed using social media for pharmacy communication and employing cognitive automation for antibiotic stewardship. Kanaczet concluded: “At this year’s Seminar by the Sea, we’re not treating artificial intelligence as a future concept—we’re demonstrating how it can be responsibly integrated into everyday medication management… our goal is to help pharmacists translate emerging technologies into safer, more effective, and more patient-centered care.”
