From Chalkboards to ChatBots: Getting Started with AI

Published on Wednesday, December 11, 2024

By: Leah Stanford

Artificial Intelligence, or AI, allows computers to simulate human thinking and problem-solving. AI has been a hot topic in almost every industry in the past couple of years. Medical Education is no exception. In fact, according to the 2023 SCOPE Survey administered by the AAMC, up to 38% of medical schools reported covering artificial intelligence in their curriculum.

For many the concept of artificial intelligence brings about feelings of suspicion or distress. However, the reality is that we have been using AI in many ways for years in the form of Alexa, Google Maps, ChatBots, etc. Most educators are also aware of tools like Gemini, CoPilot, ChatGPT that generate text based on a user provided prompt or question. My question is, how can we leverage artificial intelligence to benefit faculty and students?

As with any new tool, the first thing we need to consider is safety. Generative AI pulls information from a variety of sources all across the internet. This means that any information you provide could be stored or accessed. To ensure safe use of AI tools, it is best practice to avoid using any sensitive or identifying information. This is especially important in the education and healthcare settings as student and/or patient information and privacy is highly protected. 

Another factor to consider when using AI is the quality of information a user receives from the tool. Regardless of how advanced AI tools become, they are not always able to assess biases and misinformation. Generative AI is only capable of generating information based on the data that has been provided. AI “hallucinations” are incorrect or misleading results that can occur as a result of biased, limited, or erroneous data. This means that it is imperative that the information you receive is thoroughly reviewed. Generative AI can gather information from many sources, but it is up to the user to discern which information is most accurate and useful.

Finally, I want to remind you that there is no replacement for the education and expertise that UMMC faculty possess. At this point AI is unable to exhibit emotional intelligence, creativity, or reasoning skills. I like to think that using Artificial Intelligence is much like operating a car. We are fully in control of how the car is driven and the direction it goes, but there are tools that make the journey quicker and easier. If you have additional thoughts or questions, please reach out at lstanford1@umc.edu.