ACCME System-Wide Alert: AI-Generated Content in Accredited CE Can Undermine Content Validity and Patient Safety
ACCME is issuing this urgent alert to all accredited providers. While artificial intelligence (AI) offers promising tools for medical education, poorly designed or inadequately tested AI learning systems pose a serious risk. These systems may introduce inaccurate, biased, or non-evidence-based information into accredited continuing education (CE), compromising the integrity of the learning experience and potentially threatening patient safety. ACCME has published Guidance on the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Accredited Continuing Education (CE). The guidance makes clear that the Standards for Integrity and Independence continue to apply regardless of technology, format, or vendor.
If your accredited CE includes AI-facilitated interactions, the accredited provider is solely responsible for the learner-facing content, including any AI-generated content. This responsibility does not shift to a vendor, platform, faculty member, or partner. Accredited providers must ensure that AI outputs are accurate, evidence-based, balanced, and free of commercial bias. Learners must not encounter product-specific marketing while engaged in accredited education and must be able to enter and engage with accredited educational content without having to click through, watch, listen to, or be presented with product promotion or product-specific advertisement.
These expectations apply to all current and future learner-facing, dynamic AI-generated content. Accredited providers are expected to implement and document the following for any AI-enabled CE activity:
- Strict Separation from Promotion: Learners must not encounter product-specific marketing while engaged in accredited education and must be able to access and engage with the accredited content without exposure to promotional material.
- Pre-Deployment Validation: AI outputs must be validated against defined clinical scenarios prior to deployment, with documented accuracy and completeness sufficient to support the intended educational use.
- Clear Guardrails: The scope and limitations of AI use must be clearly defined and aligned with the intended clinical and educational domain.
- Clinical Oversight: A defined clinical oversight structure must be in place, including designated physician(s) and/or appropriately qualified healthcare professional(s) with the authority to intervene or discontinue use of the activity.
- Learner Transparency: Providers should clearly disclose the use of AI to learners and communicate the limitations of the tool, including known areas of uncertainty where applicable.
- Ongoing Monitoring: Providers must conduct periodic review of AI-generated content and learner interactions, re-validate when underlying systems or prompts change, and promptly correct errors.
- Vendor Accountability: Providers must ensure that vendor agreements enable provider oversight, transparency, and control, including access to records of the content generated by the AI and how learners engaged with it, sufficient to support effective oversight.
Providers must maintain documentation of these processes and make them available to ACCME upon request.
Inaccurate, incomplete, or inadequately governed AI-generated content can place a provider’s accreditation at risk. If learners receive invalid, inaccurate, biased, or commercially influenced content through an AI component, the provider may be out of compliance with accreditation requirements, including the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited CE. ACCME reserves the right to take immediate action, including suspension of accreditation, for activities that fail to meet these expectations.
Review the AI Guidance and share it with your CE team, faculty, and any vendors/partners supporting AI-enabled activities. If you cannot ensure appropriate oversight and content validity, do not offer the AI interaction to learners.
If you have questions about this alert or the responsible use of AI in accredited continuing education, please reach out to us at info@accme.org.
