ChatGPT as a Learning Tool for Medical Students: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial
Abstract
Importance: As artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT become increasingly widespread in medical education, it is essential to evaluate the effectiveness of AI tools in enhancing students' academic performance and retention compared to traditional educational resources such as lecture materials and textbooks. Objective: We aim to determine whether ChatGPT-4.0 improves medical students' short-term academic performance compared to internal institutional resources and publicly available online materials. Design: This study was a single-center, prospective, randomized controlled trial conducted over a two-week period in April 2025. Setting: The research took place at Georgetown University School of Medicine. Participants: A total of 198 first-year medical students were invited to participate, with 33 students enrolling in the study. Participants (N = 33) were assigned to one of three groups: Group A (ChatGPT-4.0), Group B (external resources, including publicly available online materials such as Google, PubMed, and third-party educational websites, but excluding AI-assisted tools), and Group C (institutional resources such as electronic textbooks and lecture materials). Interventions: Individuals (N = 33) were randomly assigned to one of three groups: Group A (ChatGPT-4.0; N = 10, 30.3%), Group B (external resources; N = 12, 36.4%), and Group C (institutional resources; N = 11, 33.3%). Participants completed an initial multiple-choice quiz using their assigned resources,…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design. Reported size: 33 participants or records.
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