Generative AI Tools Potentially Associated With a Decline in Medical Students' Mental Well-Being

Uncertainty about the role of generative artificial intelligence (AI), including the threat it poses in terms of professional identity and job insecurity, is potentially associated with a decline in mental health among medical students. These findings, reported in JMIR Medical Education, demonstrate how advancements in medical AI should not come at the expense of the well-being of individuals who are most likely to use it in clinical practice.

The medical profession is historically associated with high levels of stress and burnout, which has a downstream negative impact on patients. Approximately two decades ago, the emergence of digital health represented a significant shift in healthcare development. Today, the emergence of AI portends another substantial shift in how healthcare is perceived and is expected to operate.

Arvai and colleagues conducted a study in which they utilized a qualitative foresight methodology to evaluate how medical education is likely to evolve in the future in line with advancements in medical AI. This approach considers multiple possible future scenarios, including some that are deemed more likely than others.

Researchers first performed exploratory scanning—ie, the targeted use of academic search engines to understand how generative AI is currently used and perceived in medical education. They then identified specific patterns and emerging phenomena that allowed them to integrate key trends and critical uncertainties in conjuring possible emerging scenarios that differed based on the level of generative AI use and student access to mental health support.

According to Arvai and colleagues, the gap between possible future scenarios highlights the risk of “unbalanced progress”. On one hand, students may very well receive rich emotional support, but a scenario in which they remain unprepared to deal with new technological realities may exacerbate inequities and undermine confidence. On the other hand, new technologies may be overemphasized to the point that human competence and psychological well-being are completely pushed aside.

“Institutions should not see technological and emotional development as competing priorities, but as mutually important pillars of responsible and future-ready education,” the research team concluded.

This study shows that advancements in medical AI tools and the psychological well-being of current and future healthcare professionals should not be seen as mutually exclusive issues. For AI tools to be optimized in clinical settings, practitioners need to have the competence to utilize them effectively, which then improves confidence and uplifts patient outcomes. The anxiety that many feel about the dangers of AI, including its potential to contribute to a loss of professional identity or result in actual employment displacement, should be accepted as valid concerns and addressed as such.

AI clinical decision-support tools such as Vera Health exist to empower clinicians and strengthen the decision-making process, but hesitations remain. As such, Vera Health remains committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure that our services remain a force for positive change for both healthcare professionals and patients alike.

Reference

Arvai N, Meskó B, Katonai G. Generative AI's Impact on the Mental Health of Medical Students: Scenario Analysis. JMIR Med Educ. 2026;12:e85373. Published May 26, 2026. doi:10.2196/85373