In a profession where ethical decisions can mean life or death, Japanese researchers are making the case that artificial intelligence could help shape the next generation of doctors. A new study from Hiroshima University suggests that large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT are ready to play a significant role in teaching medical ethics—a subject that often gets squeezed out of packed medical school curricula.
The research, published March 2025 in BMC Medical Education, outlines how AI could fill critical gaps in ethics education without replacing human instructors. As medical schools struggle to balance technical training with ethical preparation, these digital tools could provide supplementary guidance on everything from patient confidentiality to end-of-life care.
“Medical ethics education does not receive the same educational resources as other medical education and needs innovative solutions. We believe that LLMs are already in a position to supplement the instruction of medical ethics,” said Hiroshima University Professor Tsutomu Sawai, one of the paper’s authors.
The timing is particularly relevant as AI tools rapidly integrate into healthcare settings. Healthcare professionals and patients increasingly consult LLMs for diagnostic and treatment advice, with these systems showing impressive capabilities in medical assessments. Meanwhile, medical students report feeling underprepared for the ethical challenges they’ll face in practice.
What makes the Japanese proposal notable is its focus on virtue cultivation—teaching doctors not just ethical rules but also traits like empathy and compassion. The researchers argue that LLMs can serve as “exemplars,” modeling virtuous responses to complex medical scenarios that students can analyze and learn from.
Recent studies suggest ChatGPT already demonstrates a nuanced understanding of empathy, potentially exceeding human capabilities in recognizing emotional subtleties. This indicates these systems could provide valuable insights for students navigating morally complex scenarios.
The study proposes using LLMs as ethical advisors rather than authorities. Students would be encouraged to critically evaluate AI-generated guidance, developing their own ethical reasoning rather than simply accepting machine output as gospel.
While the paper makes a case for incorporating AI into ethics education, Sawai emphasized important limitations. “LLMs have made remarkable progress in such a short time, and we feel they are ready to be used by students,” he said. “But it is still too early to use them as definitive sources for medical ethics education.”
This cautious approach acknowledges ongoing concerns about AI biases. The researchers specifically note that while LLMs may be suitable for classroom settings, they aren’t ready for deployment in actual medical settings where critical thinking requires diverse moral perspectives.
The researchers present their case as a practical “second-best” solution—not ideal, but potential
If you found this reporting useful, please consider supporting our work with a small donation. Your contribution lets us continue to bring you accurate, thought-provoking science and medical news that you can trust. Independent reporting takes time, effort, and resources, and your support makes it possible for us to keep exploring the stories that matter to you. Thank you so much!
