ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE-ENHANCED HEALTH SCIENCES EDUCATION: FOSTERING CREATIVITY, CRITICAL THINKING, AND DIGITAL COMPETENCE

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is steadily working its way into both healthcare delivery and health professions training. Its uses now range from reading medical images and supporting clinical decisions to organising information, aiding research, and building digital learning materials. Given this shift, health sciences students can no longer rely on subject knowledge by itself. They also need the capacity to think creatively, question the information placed in front of them, work confidently with digital tools, and recognise where technology falls short. This chapter looks at how AI can be woven into health sciences education to build these capacities without diminishing the place of human judgement. Used well, AI can offer alternative explanations, construct clinical scenarios for practice, support brainstorming, and give students fast formative feedback. At the same time, learners must be taught to scrutinise AI-generated content, spot bias and errors, safeguard patient confidentiality, and use these tools honestly in their academic work. The chapter sets out a practical sequence in which students first understand AI, then apply it, interrogate what it produces, build on it creatively, and finally reflect on what they learned. None of this works, however, without parallel attention to faculty training, curriculum redesign, equitable access, and clear institutional policy. The underlying goal is not to make students reliant on AI, but to shape thoughtful health professionals who can draw on technology while still owning their decisions.