Artificial intelligence in medical education

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a growing phenomenon, and will soon facilitate wide-scale changes in many professions, including medical education. In order for medical educators to be properly prepared for AI, they will need to have at least a fundamental knowledge of AI in relation to learning and teaching, and the extent to which it will impact on medical education. This Guide begins by introducing the broad concepts of AI by using fairly well-known examples to illustrate AI’s implications within the context of education. It then considers the impact of AI on medicine and the implications of this impact for educators trying to educate future doctors. Drawing on these strands, it then identifies AI’s direct impact on the methodology and content of medical education, in an attempt to prepare medical educators for the changing demands and opportunities that are about to face them because of AI.

Acknowledgments

I wish to thank Dr David Taylor, editor of the AMEE Guide series, and anonymous reviewers who commented on earlier drafts of this Guide for their invaluable input.

Disclosure statement

The author reports no conflicts of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Notes on contributor

Dr Ken Masters, PhD, HDE, FDE, is Associate Professor of Medical Informatics, Medical Education and Informatics Department, Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman. He has been involved in education for over 30 years and in medical education for over a decade. His publications in medical education consider various theoretical pedagogical perspectives, technologies, teaching strategies, and softer areas such as ethics. He teaches the concept of artificial intelligence to medical students as part of a broader medical informatics course.