Medical schools debate AI scribes as teaching tools versus learning crutches

Hospitals have rapidly adopted AI-powered note-taking tools, saying they reduce physician burnout and boost revenue.

Medical schools, however, are cautious. While they want graduates to be comfortable with AI scribes, educators fear that relying on the technology may prevent students from fully engaging in clinical reasoning.

Yale's associate dean of educational technology, Jaideep Talwalkar, emphasizes that writing notes forces trainees to think through diagnoses repeatedly, a skill that could be eroded if AI does the work.

As a result, many training programs are limiting trainee access to AI scribes until more evidence clarifies their impact on learning.