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Future-Proof Your Fellowship: AI’s Role in GI Education

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly applied in daily medical practice, and its emergence as an educational tool has significant implications for gastroenterology (GI) trainees. AI-assisted tools have the potential to accelerate clinical and procedural competency, thereby shortening traditional learning curves encountered by GI trainees. This is particularly evident in endoscopy training, where AI systems can integrate simulation-based learning with real-time intra-procedural feedback, sharpening visual pattern recognition, technical skills, and diagnostic decision-making 1. Beyond procedural skills, AI has also been incorporated into clinical decision support, capsule endoscopy review, and radiology image interpretation, exposing trainees to clinically significant pathology and supporting efficient cognitive skill development 1-3.

Initial data demonstrates measurable benefits for GI trainees, including improvements in adenoma miss rate, proximal colon adenoma detection rate, and capsule reading accuracy and efficiency 2,4,5. Despite strong trainee interest in these educational applications, the adoption and hands-on experience of AI remain inconsistent across GI fellowship programs. GI trainees and faculty have expressed significant concerns regarding AI over-reliance, the potential for deskilling, and an added cognitive burden during procedures 6-7. As applications of AI continue to expand in GI training, trainees must integrate these tools thoughtfully by leveraging their benefits while maintaining independent clinical judgment and reasoning skills.

From the educational leadership perspective, there is opportunity to intentionally incorporate AI into fellow education in a standardized way that strengthens clinical reasoning and decision-making rather than replacing it. Programs can leverage AI both as a learning tool and as an analytic resource to monitor clinical competency development, align evaluation with ACGME milestones, and provide more precise feedback. By the same token, AI can be used to track performance metrics and learning curves for faculty and fellows alike, identifying targeted areas for development.

Taken together, these considerations highlight that AI’s greatest value in GI education lies not simply in technological adaptation, but in its thoughtful integration into structured, ethical, and evidence-based training that cultivates enduring clinical proficiency.

References

  1. Kang AJ, Rodrigues T, Patel R V, Keswani RN. Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Gastroenterology Trainee Education. Gastrointest Endosc Clin N Am. 2025;35:457–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giec.2024.12.008
  2. Aoki T, Yamada A, Aoyama K, Saito H, Fujisawa G, Odawara N, et al. Clinical usefulness of a deep learning-based system as the first screening on small-bowel capsule endoscopy reading. Dig Endosc. 2020;32:585–91. https://doi.org/10.1111/den.13517
  3. Farooq F, Warraich MUT, Ud Din MM, Saleem N, Asif MS, Khan H. Role of Artificial Intelligence in Gastroenterology Training (2005-2025): Trends, Tools, and Challenges. Cureus. 2025;17:e90085. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.90085
  4. Yamaguchi D, Shimoda R, Miyahara K, Yukimoto T, Sakata Y, Takamori A, et al. Impact of an artificial intelligence-aided endoscopic diagnosis system on improving endoscopy quality for trainees in colonoscopy: Prospective, randomized, multicenter study. Dig Endosc. 2024;36:40–8. https://doi.org/10.1111/den.14573
  5. Yao L, Li X, Wu Z, Wang J, Luo C, Chen B, et al. Effect of artificial intelligence on novice-performed colonoscopy: a multicenter randomized controlled tandem study. Gastrointest Endosc. 2024;99:91-99.e9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gie.2023.07.044
  6. Tariq R, Dilmaghani S, Advani R, Soroush A, Berzin T, Khanna S. Perception and Understanding of Artificial Intelligence Among Gastroenterology Fellows and Early Career Gastroenterologists: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Survey Study. Dig Dis Sci. 2025;70:2655–64. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-025-09067-y
  7. Gross SA. Scoping the future: what endoscopists really think about artificial intelligence. Gastrointest Endosc. 2025;102:170–1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gie.2025.04.023

Authors

Anthony Skryd, MD, is a second-year GI fellow at the University of South Florida. He has interests in advanced endoscopy and medical education, with a focus on strategies to enhance procedural competency for GI trainees.

Shreya Narayanan, MD, is an Associate Program Director for the Gastroenterology Fellowship Program and a Career Advisor for medical students at the University of South Florida. She has a particular interest in curriculum development and structured remediation support for trainees and enjoys applying AI to enhance these efforts.