Cited by 133Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and EducationInnovations in Medical EducationEthics and Social Impacts of AI

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 52 of the 53 references it cites were found in a registry or an index, and 1 are not checked yet; none of the 77 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Teaching AI Ethics in Medical Education: A Scoping Review of Current Literature and Practices

Open access
Weidener, Lukas, Fischer, Michael·2023·Perspectives on Medical Education

Abstract

Introduction: The increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in medicine has raised ethical concerns, such as patient autonomy, bias, and transparency. Recent studies suggest a need for teaching AI ethics as part of medical curricula. This scoping review aimed to represent and synthesize the literature on teaching AI ethics as part of medical education. Methods: The PRISMA-SCR guidelines and JBI methodology guided a literature search in four databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science) for the past 22 years (2000-2022). To account for the release of AI-based chat applications, such as ChatGPT, the literature search was updated to include publications until the end of June 2023. Results: 1384 publications were originally identified and, after screening titles and abstracts, the full text of 87 publications was assessed. Following the assessment of the full text, 10 publications were included for further analysis. The updated literature search identified two additional relevant publications from 2023 were identified and included in the analysis. All 12 publications recommended teaching AI ethics in medical curricula due to the potential implications of AI in medicine. Anticipated ethical challenges such as bias were identified as the recommended basis for teaching content in addition to basic principles of medical ethics. Case-based teaching using real-world examples in interactive seminars and small groups was recommended as a teaching modality. Conclusion: This scoping review reveals a scarcity of literature on teaching AI ethics in medical education, with most of the available literature being recent and theoretical. These findings emphasize the importance of more empirical studies and foundational definitions of AI ethics to guide the development of teaching content and modalities. Recognizing AI's significant impact of AI on medicine, additional research on the teaching of AI ethics in medical education is needed to best prepare medical students for future ethical challenges.

Checked 2026-10-10 · 1 reference not checked yet

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This scoping review synthesizes 12 publications on teaching AI ethics in medical education and finds the literature is scarce, recent, and mostly theoretical. All included publications recommend teaching AI ethics in medical curricula, but only two specifically focus on it.

Key findings

  • The search identified 1384 publications initially; after screening, 10 publications were included from the initial search, and an updated search added 2 more, for a total of 12 publications.
  • All 12 publications recommended teaching AI ethics in medical curricula due to AI’s potential implications in medicine; only 2 publications specifically focused on teaching AI ethics in medical education.
  • Recommended teaching content included data protection (half of included publications), liability (4 publications), and ethical challenges such as bias, informed consent, safety, transparency, patient privacy, and allocation; case-based teaching using real-world examples was recommended in 5 publications.
  • Only 1 of the 12 included publications provided a definition of AI ethics, and the authors propose a more specific definition of “medical AI ethics” for teaching and implementation.

Methods

  • Scoping review following PRISMA-ScR guidelines and JBI methodology; databases searched were PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science.
  • Initial search covered 2000–2022, with an updated search in July 2023 to include publications until the end of June 2023; inclusion required English or German language and an accessible abstract.
  • Data were extracted into Microsoft Excel on first author, year, title, study type, rationale for teaching AI ethics, recommended teaching content, teaching modalities, and curricular integration.

Limitations

  • The paper states limitations including limited search terms and databases, only English publications included (no German publications identified), only 12 publications identified with only 2 focused on teaching AI ethics, and likely extensive changes due to rapid AI developments.
  • The paper notes no scoping review protocol was published in advance.
  • The text makes evident that most included publications were commentaries or viewpoints, with limited empirical evaluation and inconsistent definitions of AI and AI ethics.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.5334/pme.954

Cites

52 of 53 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Figures

Figure 1 Flow chart of the search and selection process (adapted from PRISMA) [40].
Figure 1 Flow chart of the search and selection process (adapted from PRISMA) [40].CC BY · PubMed Central

Verification

Claims the paper makes

78 Not checked yet · 22 Own result · 10 Own interpretation · 10 No basis given · 5 Own method

Verify all 77 references — free account

Show all 39 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 24
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 74
86 of 86
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    There is a lack of guidelines on the use of AI in medicine.

    “Given the lack of guidelines on the use of AI in medicine and the associated ethical challenges, it is recommended that medical education consistently include teaching on the ethical aspects of AI [434651].”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    AI will significantly impact medicine.

    “AI is predicted to significantly impact medicine, which makes the teaching of AI ethics an indispensable part of medical education.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Medical products or applications specifically developed for use in healthcare must comply with ethical standards and principles during their development and implementation.

    “Notably, unlike medical products or applications specifically developed for use in healthcare, which must comply with ethical standards and principles during their development and implementation processes, AI-based chat applications such as ChatGPT do not need to comply with the same strict and formal requirements, as they are not explicitly designed for medical use.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    AI-based chat applications such as ChatGPT are not explicitly designed for medical use.

    “Notably, unlike medical products or applications specifically developed for use in healthcare, which must comply with ethical standards and principles during their development and implementation processes, AI-based chat applications such as ChatGPT do not need to comply with the same strict and formal requirements, as they are not explicitly designed for medical use.”
4 of 4

Claims other papers make about this one

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Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

2 of 2

Citations

Cites

Show all 45 references

Research works printed but not linked: 8

  1. 2010, Artificial Intelligence (A Modern Approach)
  2. 2017, Artificial intelligence in medicine, Metabolism, 69, 36, 10.1016/j.metabol.2017.01.011 · DOI · Paper page
  3. 2020, AI Ethics
  4. 2019, Understanding artificial intelligence ethics and safety
  5. IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems. Ethically Aligned Design: A Vision for Prioritizing Human Well-Being with Autonomous and Intelligent Systems. https://standards.ieee.org/wp-content/uploads/import/documents/other/ead_v2.pdf (accessed 02 August 2023).
  6. 2021, Principles of biomedical ethics
  7. 2021, Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence for Health
  8. 2022, Artificial intelligence in healthcare

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Metadata

Authors
Weidener, L., & Fischer, M.
Affiliations
UMIT TIROL - Private University for Health Sciences and Health Technology (AT)
Corresponding author
  • Weidener, Lukas
  • Fischer, Michael
Venue
Perspectives on Medical Education
Published
2023
Volume
12
Issue
1
Pages
399-410
ISSN
  • 2212-2761 (ISSN-L)
  • 2212-277X
OpenAlex
W4387681231
Cited by
133
References
45
Citations by year
2026: 45 · 2025: 61 · 2024: 26 · 2023: 1
FWCI
1.56
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Perspectives on Medical Education (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Health Informatics › Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education
  • Social Sciences › Education › Innovations in Medical Education
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
Keywords
AI ethics, artificial intelligence in healthcare, medical education, medical curriculum, ethics education, algorithmic bias, patient autonomy, transparency, case-based teaching, ChatGPT, medical students
MeSH terms
Artificial Intelligence, Curriculum, Education, Medical, Ethics, Medical, Humans, Medicine

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