AI in medical education, progress or regression?

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Mr. Brisbane Peña is an enthusiastic young man, interested in medical research, from Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico. He is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

Can you imagine how easy it is to study medicine today, compared to studying it 15 years ago? AI makes it possible.

Artificial intelligence is a recently introduced technology that allows the general population to have access to a bank of information that assists them in carrying out their activities. However, among the student population in the health area, it also represents a change in the way of studying.

Currently, the use of artificial intelligence in medical education in Mexico is under debate, favored by some and rejected by others. These AIs are a huge bank of information that is capable of responding, interpreting and performing almost any task that a student asks of it.

What is the usefulness of AI in current medical education?

Despite being a technology that has been in use for a short time, it has become an important study tool among the student population, from the creation of question banks, summaries, or even the generation of images that facilitate the study of basic and clinical subjects that are covered throughout the degree.

This support provided by artificial intelligence offers students the possibility of studying various subjects in less time, thus improving their academic performance. Isn’t this incredible?

Why is its use being debated?

Although the benefits it can offer to students, the use of artificial intelligence remains controversial among the teaching population, mainly associated with the limited possibility of monitoring the ethical conduct of students regarding the use of artificial intelligence.

In conclusion

What could represent a clear advance in education, and allow teachers to evolve their way of teaching medicine, and revolutionize the entire educational system, is currently truncated due to the limited capacity for regulation.

For the time being, some universities, as well as some companies, have developed software capable of identifying the use of it and evaluating the authenticity and originality of the works presented.

The use of artificial intelligence has a wide potential for use in the training of doctors, facilitating the teaching and learning processes.

References:

• Asociación Nacional de Internos y Residente. (2024, junio 19). Inteligencia artificial en la educación médica: Un sinergismo potencializador del proceso de aprendizaje. Colegio Médico Colombiano. https://epicrisis.org/2024/06/19/inteligencia-artificial-en-la-educacion-medica-un-sinergismo-potencializador-del-proceso-de-aprendizaje/
• Eysenbach, G. (2023). The Role of ChatGPT, Generative Language Models, and Artificial Intelligence in Medical Education: A Conversation With ChatGPT and a Call for Papers. JMIR Medical Education, 9(1), e46885. https://doi.org/10.2196/46885
• Fuentes-Martín, Á., Cilleruelo-Ramos, Á., Segura-Méndez, B., & Mayol, J. (2023). Can an Artificial Intelligence Model Pass an Examination for Medical Specialists? Archivos de Bronconeumología, 59(8), 534-536. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arbres.2023.03.017
• La inteligencia artificial y su impacto en la educación médica. (s. f.). Recuperado 18 de agosto de 2024, de https://www.unisabana.edu.co/portaldenoticias/al-dia/la-inteligencia-artificial-y-su-impacto-en-la-educacion-medica/
• Mayol, J. (2023). Inteligencia artificial generativa y educación médica. Educación Médica, 24(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edumed.2023.100851
• About the author
• The student Brisbane Peña is an enthusiastic young man, interested in medical research, he was born and raised in the city of Tepic, Nayarit, has studies that accredit him as a Paramedic by the Latin University of Mexico, he is currently in his last year of the Faculty of Medicine at the Autonomous University of Nayarit, has completed diplomas with the Autonomous University of Zacatecas, as well as has participated in research protocols with the Benemérita Autonomous University of Puebla, in addition to having completed clinical rotation with the Autonomous University of Nuevo León.