AI-Based Assessment Tools in Pharmacy Education

Purpose Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into pharmacy education represents a shift in assessment practice, offering opportunities to enhance efficiency, objectivity, and personalization in evaluating student competencies. As Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs in North America increasingly adopt AI-powered tools, understanding their capabilities, effectiveness, and limitations has become critical for educators and administrators. AI-based assessment tools in pharmacy education were examined by synthesizing their technical features, pedagogical effectiveness, implementation challenges, ethical considerations, and future directions. Method A focused literature search was conducted in Google Scholar and PubMed using keywords including AI-based assessment, artificial intelligence, pharmacy education, automated grading, ChatGPT, GPT-4, machine learning, adaptive learning, computer-based testing, and virtual OSCE. From 600 initial results, 222 unique records remained after deduplication and were ranked by relevance; the 30 most relevant articles published between 2004 and 2026 were selected for detailed synthesis using a structured data-extraction approach. Results Four categories of AI assessment tools emerged: generative AI tools for grading and feedback; automated assessment systems for objective scoring; adaptive learning platforms for personalized progression; and virtual assessment environments, including virtual objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs). GPT-4 showed substantial agreement with human raters, and automated short-answer grading correlated highly with human examiners. Recurring challenges included algorithmic transparency, data privacy, academic-integrity risks, validation requirements, and faculty-training needs. Conclusion AI-based assessment tools show promise in pharmacy education, offering greater efficiency and objectivity while maintaining acceptable accuracy across assessment types. Successful implementation requires attention to validation, ethics, faculty development, and integration with existing curricula and accreditation frameworks. Future work should prioritize longitudinal effectiveness, bias mitigation, and pharmacy-specific AI assessment frameworks.