Should Educators Encourage Students to Use AI?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize healthcare and, thus, healthcare education with its increasing adoption in healthcare practices and technological innovations. In education, AI has the potential to provide personalized learning experiences and democratized access to education. However, integrating AI in education of the health professions raises concerns about ethics, rote and meaningful learning, quality, equity, and privacy.  

In discussions with our HPEd students and academic colleagues, we seem to be having the same conversation as new members jump into our conversation around student use of AI in the classroom. This blog series aims to capture the conversational evolution of this topic in hopes that, upon reading it, our future conversations can build upon prior conversations.

The first point-counterpoint discussion on AI's potential benefits and challenges in health professions education is:

Should we (educators) encourage students to use AI or mandate that students CANNOT use AI?

Point: Yes, we should encourage students to use AI. AI will enhance learning.  

Developing future skills through AI education involves fostering AI literacy, where students learn how AI works, its applications, and its limitations. It enhances problem-solving and critical thinking by teaching students to develop and analyze algorithms. Additionally, AI encourages creativity and innovation by offering new problem-solving tools and perspectives.

AI in the classroom and education takes a step towards precision education and offers personalized learning by tailoring content and assessments to individual student's needs and pace, optimizing understanding. It enhances interactive learning through engaging tools like virtual simulations and personalized tutoring. Additionally, AI provides immediate feedback, helping students identify areas for improvement and reinforce their learning.

AI improves access to education by offering flexible learning options like online courses, adaptive platforms, and free-of-charge AI applications, breaking down traditional barriers. AI-powered translation tools make educational materials accessible to students from various linguistic backgrounds, while personalized tutoring provides extra support to struggling students, ensuring equal access to quality education for all.  

AI is already integrated into our world, and while we cannot fully control its presence, we can find effective ways to collaborate with and responsibly harness its potential.

 Counterpoint: No. We should not allow students to use AI. AI is cheating. Students need to know the knowledge.

While artificial intelligence (AI) offers many potential benefits, significant concerns exist about its use in education.  

Cheating or academic dishonesty is one of the most significant concerns, as AI can generate essays, solve problems, including quizzes or exam questions, or complete assignments. This undermines the integrity and purpose of the educational process. Additionally, students may resort to AI-generated content without proper attribution, resulting in plagiarism and academic dishonesty.

AI-generated content raises concerns about quality in education. One issue is the potential for inaccurate or biased information, which could mislead students and affect their understanding of important subjects. Furthermore, the current generation of AI often lacks the ability to offer in-depth explanations or critical analysis, limiting the depth of students' comprehension of complex topics. This lack of nuance can hinder their ability to fully grasp the material, ultimately impacting their educational growth and development.

While AI offers many benefits, it is important to address ethical concerns such as bias and privacy. AI systems often collect and analyze students' personal data, which raises the risk of privacy breaches or misuse of sensitive information. Additionally, equity becomes a major issue, as AI systems can inadvertently perpetuate existing biases and disparities within the educational system by generating responses that reflect these biases, further reinforcing societal inequities.

Using AI in the classroom and in professional activities during formative years may impair the development of essential skills like independent thinking, creativity, and problem-solving. Over-reliance on AI can lead to a lack of critical competencies in healthcare education and practice. Dependency on technology also raises concerns about adaptability in changing work environments, potentially impacting learners responsible for population health. Furthermore, the long-term effects of AI on skill development remain uncertain, making it crucial to examine the use versus non-use of AI carefully.

Educators should actively discourage students from using AI irresponsibly (e.g., when it is best for learning not to use it or when claiming AI responses as one’s own ideas or writing). Inducing this awareness in learners may help maintain control over its influence in education. By limiting its misuse, educators can guide AI's role in a way that prevents it from leading students down potentially self-sabotaging or unethical paths. This control is crucial to ensuring that AI supports, rather than undermines, the learning process, fostering immediately accessible knowledge during time-sensitive patient events, critical thinking and integrity in students.

Potential Solutions

By striking a balance between encouraging AI use and addressing potential risks, educators can help students leverage AI as a valuable learning resource while maintaining academic integrity and ethical standards. Balance may be achieved through:  

• Transparent Guidelines: Establish clear guidelines on AI use, specifying acceptable and unacceptable AI applications.
• Ethical Training: Educate students about the ethical implications of AI and how to use it responsibly.  
• Discernment Training: Educate students about AI biases and how to discern credible responses.
• Alternative Assessments: Educators develop AI-proof assessments that prioritize critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity over rote memorization.
• AI-Assisted Learning: Integrate AI as a tool for learning, rather than a substitute for it.
• Assessment of AI use: Grade critical thinking of students by reviewing how they used AI, and their thinking paths, and critical thinking by evaluating the flow and depth of sequential inquiries.