AI Tutoring System Teaches Safe, Efficient Surgical Procedures Better Than Human Instructors

The COVID-19 pandemic may have posed challenges in the educational field, but it also presented opportunities for medical training. Remote learning technology has become more important and is increasingly used in several fields. The latest artificial intelligence (AI) tutoring system outperforms expert human instructors in neurosurgical training.

The new study was led by experts from the Neurosurgical Simulation and Artificial Intelligence Learning Centre in Montreal, Canada, who randomly selected 70 students to perform virtual brain tumor surgery either under a sophisticated AI system or a remote expert human instructor.

AI Tutors A Valuable Tool in Training the Next Generation of Neurosurgeons

The Virtual Operative Assistant (VOA) is an AI-powered tutor that uses a machine-learning algorithm to teach trainees safe and efficient surgical techniques while also providing personalized feedback. EurekAlert! reported that the student performance would also be assessed by a panel of experts and a deep learning Intelligent Continuous Expertise Monitoring System (ICEMS).

Meanwhile, those in the second group were only trained by remote instructors who watched a live feed of surgical simulations and gave feedback on their performance.

The researchers found that those who received instructions and feedback from VOA learned neurosurgical techniques 2.6 times better and faster as they scored 36% higher in performance tests than the second group. More so, the team found no significant difference between the two groups despite the students instructed under VOA are expected to experience higher stress levels and negative emotions.

Study senior author Dr. Rolando Del Maestro pointed out that VOA may be an effective way to increase neurosurgeon performance to improve safety. He added that AI tutors might someday become a valuable tool in training the next generation of neurosurgeons. The study's first author Ali Fazlollahi also said that intelligent tutoring systems could be in various simulation platforms for unlimited chances of repetitive practice without the limitations of in-person instruction.

Researchers published their study, titled "Effect of Artificial Intelligence Tutoring versus Expert Instruction on Learning Simulated Surgical Skills Among Medical Students: A Randomized Clinical Trial," in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA Network Open).

Roles of AI in Education

AI is said to be the extension of human intelligence with an objective to optimize the routine process and improve its speed and efficiency. Global adoption of AI technology also means that it is used in many industries and sectors, such as education, to transform students' learning.

According to the website eLearning Industry, AI is one of the disruptive techniques to customize the experience of different groups, teachers, and tutors. Today, AI has five roles in the education field to improve study processes:

• Personalized education for each learner.
• Produce smart content.
• Automates tasks to simplify teaching and learning.
• Give personal tutoring and support to students.
• Open novel ways of interacting with students with special needs.

Check out more news and information on Artificial Intelligence in Science Times.