AMA Launches CME Series on Ethical AI Use in Medicine

A new continuing medical education (CME) program is designed to help physicians safely, effectively, and ethically use artificial intelligence (AI) in clinical practice, according to the American Medical Association (AMA).¹

“As AI rapidly transforms medical practice, the AMA is committed to equipping physicians with clear, practical ethics guidance rooted in our Code of Medical Ethics,” said AMA president Willie Underwood III, MD, MSc, MPH, in a statement. “By translating these ethical principles into actionable steps, we aim to support physicians in using AI tools responsibly—always with patient trust and safety at the forefront. These resources empower physicians to navigate new technology with confidence, reinforcing the AMA’s role as a trusted source for clinical excellence and ethical standards.”

A Case-Based Curriculum Built on the Code of Medical Ethics

The AMA introduced the Ethical AI Use in Medicine Series, a CME program developed jointly with the Duke Institute for Health Innovation and the Health AI Partnership to help physicians evaluate, implement, and oversee AI tools in clinical practice. The curriculum translates ethical principles into practical tools and real-world scenarios meant to support physicians' clinical decision-making while helping preserve patient trust and confidence in the medical profession.

The series includes 4 modules. The first, "Ethical AI Use in Medicine: A Clinical Practice Toolkit," gives physicians a framework to evaluate, implement, and monitor AI tools from initial assessment through ongoing oversight. A second, "Ethical AI Use in Clinical Decision-Making," uses realistic clinical scenarios to build judgment and accountability when AI informs care decisions. The remaining 2 modules are structured decision simulators: 1 focused on an AI mortality-prediction tool used for clinical decision support, addressing risk communication and bias awareness, and 1 focused on an ambient AI scribe, emphasizing transparency and physician verification of AI-generated notes. Taken together, the AMA said the series is meant to give physicians and health systems clinically relevant education that reinforces the central role of physician judgment, upholds patient trust, and advances high-quality patient care.

Rising AI Use Among Physicians Drives Demand for Ethics Training

Physician use of AI in clinical practice has grown quickly in recent years. In the year before a 2024 AMA survey, physicians' use of AI nearly doubled for certain tasks, and about 3 in 5 physicians reported using health care AI for functions such as documentation of visit notes and billing codes, creation of discharge instructions and care plans, translation services, and assistive diagnosis.² The same survey found physician enthusiasm for the technology climbing, with 35% of respondents saying their enthusiasm for health AI outweighed their concerns, up 5 percentage points from 30% a year earlier.

That growth has outpaced formal guidance on responsible use, a gap the AMA has also addressed through a separate 7-module CME series covering AI fundamentals for medical students, residents, and practicing physicians. The new ethics-focused series aims to close that gap with case-based scenarios rather than abstract principles, addressing what the AMA describes as a growing need for practical ethics guidance as AI adoption expands across health care.¹

“The code doesn’t do doctors and the patients they care for any good if it just sits on the wooden or digital shelf. It needs to be understood and applied,” said Audiey C. Kao, MD, the AMA’s vice president for ethics, in a statement. The new modules “help to situate the code and its ethical guidance in practical settings and dilemmas that physicians may encounter during their clinical careers, during their educational careers, and so forth.”

References

1. AMA introduces Ethical AI Use in Medicine Series. American Medical Association. August 26, 2026. Accessed September 15, 2026. https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/ama-press-releases/ama-introduces-ethical-ai-use-medicine-series
2. Henry TA. Doctors' use of AI up dramatically. Here's the CME they need. American Medical Association. March 27, 2025. Accessed September 15, 2026. https://www.ama-assn.org/membership/continuing-medical-education-cme-online/doctors-use-ai-dramatically-here-s-cme-they-need