Artificial Intelligence Competencies in Medical Education

Health care is rapidly changing, and artificial intelligence (AI) is accelerating that transformation across clinical care, education, and health systems. Reflecting this shift, the number of MD- and DO-granting medical schools in the United States and Canada incorporating AI into their curricula increased from 53% in 2023 to 77% in 2024, according to data from the AAMC and AACOM Curriculum SCOPE Survey (PDF). This rapid uptake reflects not only growing interest in AI within medical education, but also the accelerating integration of AI-enabled tools into clinical training environments and day-to-day practice.

To support this expansion across the full continuum of medical education, the AAMC is developing a national set of competencies in AI designed to be relevant for undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education. These competencies aim to ensure that medical learners and practicing physicians develop a shared foundation in core AI concepts; understand the ethical, legal, and professional implications of AI-enabled care; and are prepared to effectively use, evaluate, and collaborate around AI technologies alongside interprofessional teams, data scientists, and health system leaders throughout their careers. The project is supported (in part) by the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation.

Objectives of the project include:

• Identifying core AI competencies relevant to medical education and practice.
• Ensuring the incorporation of perspectives from a variety of professions and identities.
• Leveraging technological tools, including AI, to support development, review, and dissemination.
• Aligning with accreditation standards and evolving AI capabilities in health care.

National coordination of this work through the AAMC is intended to encourage alignment, increase clarity, and promote consistent expectations for learners and educators.

Plan and Prepare

Finalize members of the advisory committee, working group, and AAMC staff operations team.

Literature Review

Conduct a review of literature on AI and medical education and identify existing works from which to build.

Draft, Review, Revise

Conduct a consensus exercise with the working group to define, draft, and revise competencies.

Feedback Gathering

Gather community feedback on draft competencies via a modified Delphi process and focus groups.

Report Preparation and Release

Identification of case studies and vignettes to support adoption and preparation of the final report.

Members of the academic medicine community are invited to provide feedback on the draft competencies by serving as reactors who:

• Participate in a structured review of the draft competencies.
• Ensure language and content are inclusive of and accessible to a range of institutions and learners.
• Contribute vignettes or cases that demonstrate how AI competencies are taught or assessed across the continuum of medical education.

For more information on serving as a reactor email an AAMC Curricular Innovations team member. Additional opportunities to provide feedback via focus group discussions will be available through select AAMC professional development conferences in spring 2026.

The volunteer advisory committee supports the development of AI competencies by providing input on the plan, working group membership, and overall initiative; reviewing iterative drafts of competencies; assisting with communications, promotions, and engagement opportunities related to the work; and advising on practical issues related to the competencies’ release and operationalization.

The volunteer working group was selected following an open call for self-nominations and thorough review process. Participants represent a range of experience and individual demographics, including career stage, institution size, and expertise with AI, teaching, competency-based education, and training across the continuum.

The New and Emerging Areas in Medicine Competency Series is intended to add depth to key emerging areas to guide curricular and professional development, formative performance assessment, cross-continuum collaborations, and, ultimately, improvements in health care services and outcomes. Existing competency reports in the series include Quality Improvement and Patient Safety and Telehealth and Virtual Care.