With the advancement of population aging, the incidence of orthopedic diseases increases annually. The early diagnosis and precise treatment of many orthopedic diseases still require advancements in technology to address effectively. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), this technology is expected to achieve early diagnosis and improved treatment of many diseases, providing revolutionary changes in clinical. However, the integration of AI in orthopedics is still in its infancy, and its existing intelligent algorithms have been clinically applied models and their advantages need to be further summarized to pave the way for future development and exploration. The review provides a concise overview of the basic concepts and mechanisms of AI in orthopedics, and summarizes orthopedic surgery and sports medicine in four areas of application and development, specifically, developing precision diagnostics, assisting treatment, monitoring assisted during rehabilitation, and enhancing educational research and data analysis. In this section, the main focus is on each aspect of the AI programs that are now used in clinical applications, and also comparing them to the purely manual results. In conclusion, the continued application and development of AI are anticipated to enhance our understanding of the diagnosis, progression, and prognosis of orthopedic diseases, ultimately laying the groundwork for more effective clinical applications.