Assessing unintended consequences in AI-based neurosurgical training

Virtual reality simulators allow medical students to practice complex operations before using a scalpel on a real patient

Assessing unintended consequences in AI-based neurosurgical training

by Shawn Hayward


Virtual reality simulators can help medical learners improve their technical skills faster and with no risk to patients. In the field of neurosurgery, they allow medical students to practice complex operations before using a scalpel on a real patient. When combined with artificial intelligence, these tutoring systems can offer tailored feedback like a human instructor, identifying areas where the students need to improve and making suggestions on how to achieve expert performance.

new study from the Neurosurgical Simulation and Artificial Intelligence Learning Centre at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) of McGill University, however, shows that human instruction is still necessary to detect and compensate for unintended, and sometimes negative, changes in neurosurgeon behaviour after virtual reality AI training.

Published in September 2023

Original article can be found here