Will artificial intelligence assume a role in anatomy education?

NB Pushpa; Apurba Patra; Kumar Satish Ravi

doi:10.4103/NJCA.NJCA_85_22

EDITORIAL

Year : 2022 | Volume : 11 | Issue : 2 | Page : 65-67

Will artificial intelligence assume a role in anatomy education?

NB Pushpa¹, Apurba Patra², Kumar Satish Ravi³
¹ Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy, JSS Medical College, JSSAHER, Mysore, Karnataka, India
² Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bathinda, Punjab, India
³ Professor (Additional), Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

Date of Submission	25-Apr-2022
Date of Decision	28-Apr-2022
Date of Acceptance	27-Apr-2022
Date of Web Publication	26-May-2022

Correspondence Address:
Kumar Satish Ravi
Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
India

Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None

DOI: 10.4103/NJCA.NJCA_85_22

How to cite this article:
Pushpa N B, Patra A, Ravi KS. Will artificial intelligence assume a role in anatomy education?. Natl J Clin Anat 2022;11:65-7

How to cite this URL:
Pushpa N B, Patra A, Ravi KS. Will artificial intelligence assume a role in anatomy education?. Natl J Clin Anat [serial online] 2022 [cited 2022 Jul 4];11:65-7. Available from: http://www.njca.info/text.asp?2022/11/2/65/346078

Artificial Intelligence

Intelligence is the ability to contemplate, analyze, learn from previous experience and adapt to a new environment.^[1] The worldly life of present-day human beings could be significantly attributed to the significant role played by “intelligence.” Intelligence ensures man's cognitive capacities to understand, analyze, reason, recognize, invent, plan, overcome the crisis, and use language for communication.^[2] When exhibited by machines, such intelligence is referred to as artificial intelligence (AI).^[3]

Although the concept of AI and its application dates back to ancient Greece, it was John McCarthy who introduced this term at the conference held at Dartmouth College in 1956. AI is the ability of a computer or computer-controlled system to perform tasks that a human being can do.^[4] It involves the development of computer systems that can reason, understand, generalize, and even learn from the experience. The broader application of AI in various fields owes to the development of advanced algorithms, efficient, low-cost graphic processors, and massive annotated databases. Main elements of AI are shown in [Figure 1].

Figure 1: Main elements of AI

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Machine learning (ML) is a part of AI often used synonymously with AI. ML enables machines to learn from data sets without being programmed exclusively for the designated task. ML can function in three ways – supervised, unsupervised, and recruitment. The supervised system functions with data set provided by the human to get the desired outcome, while unsupervised ML uses confidential data within the system. The combination of the above two forms the basis of reinforcement type, where at most precision and accuracy are expected.^[5],[6]

Deep learning (DL) is a highly evolved form of AI and a subset of ML.^[7] DL works with unorganized data and complex problems using complex neuronal networks. In DL, the designated system is trained with an extensive data set to reach human-like accuracy in the performance. Applications of AI are well appreciated in self-automated decision-making system, advanced web search engines, AI robots, language processing tools, and disease mapping.^[8]

The working model of AI is inspired by how the human brain functions. The goal of AI is to enable a computer system which can mimic human intelligence to solve complex issues using large data set and neural networks. Due to its efficiency, AI has significant potential to influence the field of medicine, both in diagnostics and therapeutics.^[9] The application of AI in medical education is evolving and needs to be customized based on regional requirements.

Possible Application of Artificial Intelligence in Anatomical Sciences Education

Teaching and learning

The essential goals of AI are reasoning and problem-solving, knowledge presentation, planning, learning, and social intelligence, which can be explored to benefit the student community. AI has a crucial role in medical education in the form of an intelligent tutoring system.^[10],[11] AI helps bridge the gap between the traditional teaching mode and the present digital generation of students through a smart tutoring system. This includes identifying and responding to the knowledge gap that exists among the students. With proper coding, virtual facilitators can cater constructive learning approaches, quick and customized feedback to students, and one-to-one or personalized teaching. It can also perform the activities such as attendance tracking and assignment grading, which are often done manually by most medical educators.^[12] Although there are various benefits with advanced technologies such as AI, care must be taken while structuring computer system-based learning and algorithms related to AI concerning ethical and moral challenges.^[13],[14] Hence, the outcome of such an application should be transparent, credible, auditable, and reliable.

Assessment

In medical education, the assessment forms an essential process in measuring the students' progress. Most studies about anatomy assessment methodologies spin around assessment usefulness indices such as objectivity, validity, reliability, and educational impact.^[15] Uniform assessment for all the students without any individual distinction is universally accepted. The student community will appreciate such an impartial, objective assessment method. Objectivity becomes an essential concern when different examiners are satisfied with the students' different degrees of knowledge and skills. The uniformity can achieve such objective, impartial assessment in the questions/tasks, bringing about more standardization in the expected response, skills, and behavior from the students.^[16] With human beings, it is not feasible to have an objective impartial assessment that is entirely devoid of innate biases about the subject matter and cultural biases such as gender and region. Furthermore, much diversity exists in evaluating anatomical knowledge, attitude toward the subject, and skills. This mandates concurrence regarding best strategies and methodologies to be implemented to ensure reliability, consistency, validity, and standardization.^[17] Such goals can be achieved by involving applications of AI in assessment, which can automatically alter the difficulty level and evaluate the students without any bias.

Other Aspects

Spatial ability is a key factor in learning anatomy, which is well acquired by cadaveric dissection. In recent years, three dimensional images obtained by computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound are also widely used to orient the medical students to internal organ structure and their relations. Quite often, such radiological images from the primary representation of internal anatomy, providing better structural details than textbook diagrams.^[18],[19] The development of image biobank and its application in developing algorithms and training computer system^[20] can be effectively used to teach young doctors.

Cadaveric dissection is an integral part of teaching anatomy. Optimal preservation techniques are vital in continuing the tradition of cadaveric dissection.^[21] Formaldehyde is a universally used chemical for the preservation of corpses/specimen. On the other hand, studies have shown the carcinogenic effect of formaldehyde.^[22] The benefits of formaldehyde usage have outweighed the occupational hazards caused in the dissection hall.^[23] Hence, like the use of robots in surgical procedures, machines can be trained to dissect and prepare specimens for teaching purposes.

The applications of AI, particularly in medicine, education, finance, industries, and military fields, are working more promisingly. To ascertain the potential of AI in medical education, one should consider the goal of medical education, i.e., competent and responsive doctors. Just like any swap in medical education should be guided by this goal. There appears a need to interrogate, given the potential AI should be an essential tool in teaching and learning anatomy rather than replacing the teachers, which can be a massive threat to the profession. Hence, there needs to be a beneficial and practical balance between human resources and AI usage. At the same time, it has to be considered that excess usage of automation should not pave the way for loss of critical thinking and deterioration of interpersonal relationships and communicational skills.

Acknowledgment

We sincerely thank Mrs. Prajwala Nagavalli Basavanna B.E., MTech (Computer Science), Software Engineer, Wipro Pvt. Limited Bangalore, Karnataka, India, for her valuable technical inputs in preparing this manuscript.

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