health
What happens when medical students rely on AI – and never develop their own judgment?
AI’s danger isn’t just in experts losing the ability to reason. It’s that trainees may never learn how to do so in the first place
TL;DR
- Medical trainees are increasingly using AI tools like OpenEvidence, which can provide rapid answers to clinical questions.
- This reliance on AI risks 'never-skilling,' preventing trainees from developing their own clinical reasoning and judgment.
- The struggle and uncertainty inherent in traditional medical training are vital for building diagnostic skills.
- Current AI tools can give nearly perfect answers, masking deficits that training is meant to reveal.
- Structural changes are needed, such as expecting trainees to reason first and consult AI second.
- Pilots maintain manual competence despite autopilot; medicine needs similar discipline, with trainees practicing without AI.
- Trainees must be taught to critically interrogate AI, not just accept its outputs.
- The goal is to augment, not replace, human judgment, ensuring doctors can identify when AI is wrong or incomplete.