Concepts behind clips: cinema to teach the science of artificial intelligence to undergraduate medical students.

Abstract

As artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more integrated into the field of healthcare, medical students need to learn foundational AI literacy. Yet, traditional, descriptive teaching methods of AI topics are often ineffective in engaging the learners. This article introduces a new application of cinema to teaching AI concepts in medical education. With meticulously chosen movie clips from "Enthiran (Tamil)/Robot (Hindi)/Robo (Telugu)" movie, the students were introduced to the primary differences between artificial narrow intelligence (ANI), artificial general intelligence (AGI), and artificial super intelligence (ASI). This method triggered encouraging responses from students, with learners indicating greater conceptual clarity and heightened interest. Film as an emotive and visual medium not only makes difficult concepts easy to understand but also encourages curiosity, ethical consideration, and higher order thought. This pedagogic intervention demonstrates how narrative-based learning can make abstract AI systems more relatable and clinically relevant for future physicians. Beyond technical content, the method can offer opportunities to cultivate critical engagement with ethical and practical dimensions of AI in healthcare. Integrating film into AI instruction could bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and clinical application, offering a compelling pathway to enrich medical education in a rapidly evolving digital age.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This article introduces a new learning strategy that employs film to instruct artificial intelligence (AI) principles in medical education. By introducing clips the from "Enthiran (Tamil)/Robot (Hindi)/Robo (Telugu)" movie to clarify artificial narrow intelligence (ANI), artificial general intelligence (AGI), and artificial super intelligence (ASI), the approach converted passive learning into an emotionally evocative and intellectually stimulating experience. Students experienced enhanced comprehension and increased interest in artificial intelligence. This narrative-driven, visually oriented process promises to incorporate technical and ethical AI literacy into medical curricula with enduring relevance and impact.