Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in health and care professional education

Introduction

• As regulators, we set the knowledge, skills, understanding and professional behaviours expected of health and care professionals. Education providers are required to meet our education and training standards and professionals our professional standards.
• The education landscape is in a state of change. We know that learners are using AI (in particular, generative AI) in many different ways to support their learning journeys and if used appropriately, AI can be a positive tool for learners as they develop the skills and knowledge required for future practice.
• While there are many benefits with the use of AI in education, such as improved efficiencies, the creation of more realistic simulations, and its use as a personalised learning tool – there are also risks. These can include an overreliance on AI and the loss of core skills, as well as the potential for biased or misleading outputs, which can all impact on patient safety.
• We want to ensure that learners who use AI in their education receive proper support and understand both the risks and benefits of the technology. Learners also need to understand how AI can be applied in their future practice and develop the skills necessary to use this technology ethically, safely and effectively. Ensuring that our standards are not compromised through the increasing use of AI is highly important to service users and the professions that we regulate.
• We know that education providers and other stakeholders will have their own guidance on the use of AI. The Office for Students is playing an important role setting out its position on AI that follows its principles based approach to regulation. Additionally, the Quality Assurance Agency has curated a range of resources relating to generative AI and the ways it can be used as a positive tool while also maintaining academic standards.
• To ensure our standards continue to aid learners and education providers, we have produced a set of guiding principles for providers of health and care education to proactively consider in the design and delivery of their educational programmes. The aim of this statement is not to supersede existing guidance, but to complement and provide clarity around regulator expectations as well as countering the risks associated with the use of the technology.

Principles

The following are a set of key principles that we, as regulators, believe all education providers we quality assure should consider in the delivery of their programmes. We recommend that these principles be considered centrally by education providers who offer multiple approved health and care programmes.

Regulators have different approaches to considering how education providers are developing their capabilities linked to AI. We would welcome the opportunity through engagement activities to see how these principles have been considered.

Accountability

• Learners, education providers and staff appropriately communicate where and how AI is being used.
• Learners are accountable for their use of AI and understand and adhere to their institutions’ AI policies.

Academic integrity

• Education providers ensure that assessment methods continue to remain reliable and valid, with the increased accessibility of AI for learners.
• Even when using AI, learners must still meet the requirements linked to each regulator’s professional standards.

Development of AI literacy for staff and learners

• Staff responsible for teaching and learning linked to AI have appropriate skills and knowledge and are supported by their institution to meet their responsibilities and develop in their role.
• Staff developing and managing assessments have sufficient knowledge and skills in AI to ensure assessments are in line with the ‘academic integrity’ area above.
• There is support for learners and staff in their use of AI, through a positive learning culture, the right to challenge and access to adequate resources, within education and training.
• Learners and staff develop skills to identify biased, inaccurate or misleading content in AI responses.
• Learners understand the ethical use of AI in line with their profession’s practice standards, including understanding how to comply with data protection legislation and guidance to maintain patient confidentiality.
• In line with ensuring equality and diversity in education, education providers ensure equitable access to AI that does not amplify existing inequalities between learners from different backgrounds or discriminate with respect to protected characteristics.

Preparation for practice

• Education providers prepare learners for appropriate use of AI in their future practice. This includes understanding the practical, legal and ethical use of technologies available, as well as developing the critical thinking skills required to become an autonomous professional.
• Learners demonstrate AI explainability. This means that they understand how decisions are made and are equipped with the skills to explain their use of AI to service users or caregivers in a way that is clear and easy to understand, including the outlining of any risks.
• Education providers equip learners with the skills to develop their understanding of AI and similar technologies given the rapid pace of change once in practice.

Glossary

For the purposes of this statement, we have used the following definitions of AI:

• Artificial intelligence (AI) – AI is the use of digital technology to create systems capable of performing tasks commonly thought to require human intelligence, NHS England.
• Generative AI – Generative AI is a subset of AI capable of generating text, images, video or other forms of output by using probabilistic models trained across one or more domains, Government Digital Service.

The statutory health and care regulators that have agreed to this statement are:

• General Chiropractic Council
• General Optical Council
• General Osteopathic Council
• General Pharmaceutical Council
• Health and Care Professions Council
• Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons