With the rapid global development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, its applications in various industries continue to deepen. Against this backdrop, AI empowering high-quality development in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector has become a global research hotspot, and AI-enabled health technology assessment (HTA) constitutes a key component of AI applications in the pharmaceutical field. Currently, the World Health Organization (WHO), International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and Canada’s Drug Agency (CDA-AMC) are all actively exploring the application pathways, technical challenges, developmental limitations, and solutions of AI in HTA. This paper aims to conduct a systematic analysis of AI-related basic concepts and classifications, typical application scenarios of AI in HTA, risk challenges, and position principles, based on the exploratory findings of the aforementioned entities regarding AI applications in HTA and integrating the technical characteristics of AI and HTA themselves. It further seeks to propose the application pathways, directions, and future prospects of AI in China’s HTA field by drawing on international beneficial experiences.