AI-Enabled Misconduct During Interviews and Its Possible Impact on Future Physicians' Critical Thinking

The competition for highly desired residency training positions in certain medical specialties has become intense. Annually in the US, there are multiple instances of an inability of the National Residency Match Program (NRMP) to accommodate each medical student's desire for a seat in their residency of interest. Residency applicant interviews since the COVID-19 pandemic are virtual, initially for disease prevention, but now for cost savings (to both the institution and the applicants). This intense competition for positions has led to sophisticated measures by some applicants to manipulate the system by use of artificial intelligence robots (AI bots) during these virtual interviews. These AI bots gather information quickly in response to an interviewer's question and allow the applicant to seamlessly respond. Here, there is not only a consideration of cheating during the interview, but a question of whether such behavior will affect the critical thinking abilities of future physicians. Academic misbehavior through use of AI during a residency interview may portend dishonesty in a successful applicant's future medical practice. We present this commentary as a cautionary tale to those involved in the selection process regarding residency training slots.