I am thrilled to share that our blog has crossed the milestone of 20,000 views this month! Thank you for reading!
Educators in Medicine,
In this newsletter, we continue our journey through the fundamentals of AI, its applications in medicine, and its transformative role in faculty development and education. Let’s dive into learning.
So - 20,000 reads! This achievement is a testament to the growing interest in the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and medicine. Your reading, support and engagement have made this possible. I am committed to providing valuable insights, updates, and discussions that will help shape the future of medical education and practice. Thank you for being part of this journey!
AI 101 - A Primer on Artificial Intelligence
Back to some basics…
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming various industries by enabling machines to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. At its core, AI involves the development of algorithms and systems capable of learning from data, making decisions, and improving over time. There are different types of AI, including narrow AI, which is designed to perform a specific task, and general AI, which aims to understand and reason like a human across a wide range of tasks (Russell & Norvig, 2020).
Apple Updates on Siri and AI Implementation
When the iphone came out, it was a blockbuster in our understanding of the phone. Apple continues to enhance Siri with cutting-edge AI technologies, making the virtual assistant more intuitive and capable. Over the years updates have focused on improving Siri's natural language processing abilities, allowing it to understand and respond to a broader range of queries more accurately.
Now - Apple has changed everything (again) and integrated ChatGPT into Siri, creating their new AI - Apple Intelligence. I am excited for the beta test coming in the fall and see its functionality. Last episode discussed Gemini’s integrations, but I can't wait to use it across devices innate in the Apple ecosystem.
Elon’s Comments - Concern for Security
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, has been vocal about his concerns regarding the potential risks associated with AI. Musk has repeatedly warned that AI could pose a significant threat to humanity if not properly regulated. His concerns revolve around the possibility of AI systems becoming uncontrollable and making decisions that could be harmful to humans.
I, while obviously zealous about its utility, share in some of these apprehensions. As we have pushed for before, Musk advocates for proactive regulation and oversight of AI development to ensure safety and ethical considerations are prioritized. While many were excited at the prospect of Apple + ChatGPT joining forces, Musk called it an "unacceptable security violation," even claiming that the products may not be used in his companies.
AI in Education
During my recent visit to the University of North Carolina (UNC), I had the opportunity to speak about the role of AI in medical education. The reception was overwhelmingly positive, with one of my mentors humorously suggesting that AI might render their faculty development fellowship obsolete. While this comment highlights AI's potential to revolutionize education, it also underscores the importance of training faculty to effectively integrate AI tools into their teaching methods. SO do it. Train your faculty! FWIW- he was kidding. I believe fellowships are immensely beneficial for connections!
What Can I Do Now?
Incorporating AI into medical education can start with simple yet impactful steps. For example, in my classes with third-year medical students (MS3s), we used AI to analyze clinical cases and compare their recommendations with established guidelines such as the ACP/AAFP Choosing Wisely campaign. This exercise not only helped students understand the practical applications of AI but also highlighted the importance of evidence-based decision-making.
Surprise! ChatGPT was not always right! And this was the impetus for great discussion and debate.
Another practical application of AI is in the use of dictation tools like DAX (Dragon Ambient eXperience) from Nuance.
Our institution just pitched its pilot to (supposedly) make physician lives better. In my opinion these tools offer significant advantages in terms of efficiency and accuracy, but there is a need to address issues related to the removal of social context in medical documentation.
As a family doc I am dissatisfied with how these tools handle the nuances (see what i did there?) of patient interactions. I prioritize social history, the dog’s name, the upcoming trip, the family event, far more than I did when I was a student. DAX leaves all of these specifics out thinking it is filtering out nonsense - and I think this is doing our patient care a disservice. These details should be included in documentation, not to crowd a note, but to carry forward relationships. What is medicine if not for relationships? What is your evaluation of DAX? I think the potential is there, but readers considering the adoption of such technologies should be aware, it's not there yet for my full adoption.
There are positives, it records your note very quickly and efficiently. And if it is a new patient, with one acute problem, the service would do pretty well. Particularly if I was not going to follow up with them moving forward.
As always - get in touch and let me know your thoughts!
Thank you for joining us on this adventure. Stay tuned for more AI insights, best practices, and more future editions of AI+MedEd.
For education and innovation,
Karim
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