Implementation of a Novel Case-Based Session for Medical Students Focused on Artificial Intelligence Ethics

As artificial intelligence (AI) is integrated into health care, it is critical for physicians to understand the ethical foundations of its use in medicine so that they can provide just care to patients and use AI technology to effectively support clinical care. This novel ethics session was designed to provide students with the opportunity to discuss ethical principles related to the use of AI in medicine.

We designed a case-based small-group session for preclerkship medical students as part of their required bioethics course. Interdisciplinary bioethics faculty facilitated this session. After the session, participants completed a retrospective pre-post survey with questions on a 5-point Likert scale and open-ended questions.

One hundred seventy students attended the session, and 94 completed the survey (response rate 55%). Students reported a stronger understanding of the ethical issues surrounding AI use in medicine following the session. Content analysis of narrative responses showed that students valued the opportunity to discuss AI ethics with peers and facilitators.

Students valued this innovative session and recommended it be repeated in future years. Data from this session demonstrate a self-reported improvement in understanding of core bioethics concepts related to AI use in medicine. This case-based small-group session offers a timely and effective approach for integrating core domains of AI ethics-bias and inequity, data privacy and patient autonomy, and potential harms of AI-into the undergraduate medical school education curriculum, providing students with a foundational understanding as they prepare to use AI throughout their careers.