First US medical school incorporates ChatGPT into teaching

The school has granted access to ChatGPT Edu, a specialized educational version of ChatGPT, to all medical students, trainees, and graduate research students.

This launch follows a formal agreement between Mount Sinai and OpenAI, designed to protect personal health information, student data, and other sensitive details while providing secure, accessible, and advanced AI capabilities to the Icahn Mount Sinai scholarly community.

Through this collaboration, the school aims to enhance its educational toolkit, equipping future physicians and scientists with advanced resources to succeed in the rapidly evolving healthcare and scientific environment, according to a news release on the school's website.

The school emphasized that students are trained to use the platform as a complement to evidence-based practices, expert guidance, and patient-centered care, not as a replacement. ChatGPT Edu is used across various educational contexts, including assisting students with clinical reasoning, understanding complex cases, and supporting research through data analysis and coding assistance.

The platform does not provide medical care or make clinical decisions. Rather, it serves as a dynamic educational tool, similar to a digital study partner, with built-in safeguards to ensure responsible and compliant usage. Faculty members are also exploring its potential to enhance curriculum development, scholarly work, and teaching innovation.

"This technology isn't here to replace clinical judgment,—it's here to support it," said Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and President for Academic Affairs of the Mount Sinai Health System.

"Students aren't using AI to make medical decisions, but to sharpen their thinking, challenge their assumptions, and become more confident, critical thinkers. Tools like this can enhance how students learn and problem-solve, but they will never replace human instincts and relationships at the heart of medicine. Our goal is to teach future clinicians and researchers how to work thoughtfully with technology, bringing the best of both worlds together to improve care and advance discovery," he said.

Faris Gulamali, one of the medical students at the school, said he has been making the most of this AI tool.

In an interview with CBS News, he shared that he has used ChatGPT to prepare for surgeries and improve how he explains complex diagnoses to patients. Gulamali said ChatGPT Edu helps alleviate much of the stress and pressure inherent in rigorous and demanding medical training.

Similarly, Vivek Kanpa, a PhD student at Icahn, noted that AI serves as a technical support tool for complex medical research projects.

"It gives me a pseudo-clinician-style mentor who I can ask questions to at any time of day, as well as a pseudo-software engineering collaborator with whom I can debug problems that I'm having," Kanpa told CBS News.

Faculty members have also recognized the significance of AI.

Dr. Benjamin Glicksberg, Associate Professor at Icahn School of Medicine, acknowledged that AI is transforming healthcare, noting that integrating AI into medical education is one of the most remarkable innovations he has witnessed.

However, incorporating AI into sensitive fields such as healthcare raises concerns regarding privacy and potential patient information leaks.

OpenAI—the parent company of ChatGPT—stated that it is working closely with institutions like Icahn to ensure strict compliance with personal data protection standards.

Leah Belsky, Vice President and General Manager of Education at OpenAI, was quoted by Icahn School of Medicine as saying: "Every student today, regardless of discipline, needs to know how to use AI effectively before entering an increasingly AI-powered workforce. In medical schools, teaching students how to use AI responsibly is even more critical."

She affirmed that ChatGPT Edu fully complies with HIPAA, the federal law restricting the disclosure of medical information.