google How Google’s AI can help transform health professions education (opens in new tab)
To address a projected global deficit of 11 million healthcare workers by 2030, Google Research is exploring how generative AI can provide personalized, competency-based education for medical professionals. By combining qualitative user-centered design with quantitative benchmarking of the pedagogically fine-tuned LearnLM model, researchers have demonstrated that AI can effectively mimic the behaviors of high-quality human tutors. The studies conclude that specialized models, now integrated into Gemini 2.5 Pro, can significantly enhance clinical reasoning and adapt to the individual learning styles of medical students. ## Learner-Centered Design and Participatory Research * Researchers conducted interdisciplinary co-design workshops featuring medical students, clinicians, and AI researchers to identify specific educational needs. * The team developed a rapid prototype of an AI tutor designed to guide learners through clinical reasoning exercises anchored in synthetic clinical vignettes. * Qualitative feedback from medical residents and students highlighted a demand for "preceptor-like" behaviors, such as the ability to manage cognitive load, provide constructive feedback, and encourage active reflection. * Analysis revealed that learners specifically value AI tools that can identify and bridge individual knowledge gaps rather than providing generic information. ## Quantitative Benchmarking via LearnLM * The study utilized LearnLM, a version of Gemini fine-tuned specifically for educational pedagogy, and compared its performance against Gemini 1.5 Pro. * Evaluations were conducted using 50 synthetic scenarios covering a spectrum of medical education, ranging from preclinical topics like platelet activation to clinical subjects such as neonatal jaundice. * Medical students engaged in 290 role-playing conversations, which were then evaluated based on four primary metrics: overall experience, meeting learning needs, enjoyability, and understandability. * Physician educators performed blinded reviews of conversation transcripts to assess whether the AI adhered to medical education standards and core competencies. ## Pedagogical Performance and Expert Evaluation * LearnLM was consistently rated higher than the base model by both students and educators, with experts noting it behaved "more like a very good human tutor." * The fine-tuned model demonstrated a superior ability to maintain a conversation plan and use grounding materials to provide accurate, context-aware instruction. * Findings suggest that pedagogical fine-tuning is essential for AI to move beyond simple fact-delivery and toward true interactive tutoring. * These specialized learning capabilities have been transitioned from the research phase into Gemini 2.5 Pro to support broader educational applications. By integrating these specialized AI behaviors into medical training pipelines, institutions can provide scalable, individualized support to students. The transition of LearnLM’s pedagogical features into Gemini 2.5 Pro provides a practical framework for developers to create tools that not only provide medical information but actively foster the critical thinking skills required for clinical practice.