Joint Accreditation Notice: AI-Generated Content in Accredited CE Can Undermine Content Validity and Patient Safety

Joint Accreditation is issuing this notification to all accredited providers to address questions received from providers along with inquiries related to AI-generated educational content within CE events that was incorrect, inaccurate, and/or misleading. Please refer to the recent Guidance on the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Accredited Continuing Education (CE) for additional information.

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. Joint Accreditation 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 ensure that every CE activity they develop meets the expectations of the Standards for Integrity and Independence. Joint Accreditation recommends implementing the following guardrails as you develop any AI-enabled CE activity:

• Strict Separation from Promotion: Learners must not encounter product-specific marketing for ineligible companies 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 the content validity JAC 12a (Standard 1: Ensure Content is Valid), current evidence and clinical practice guidelines, where applicable, prior to deployment at a level sufficient to support the intended educational use.
• Provider Oversight: Clinical oversight by the provider should be in place, including appropriately qualified healthcare professional(s), with the authority to override, 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 are encouraged to maintain documentation of these processes.

Providers are ultimately responsible for any inaccurate, incomplete, or inadequately governed AI-generated content, given that the appearance of such content can lead to noncompliance with JAC 12a (Standard 1: Ensure Content is Valid).  Noncompliance can lead to action by Joint Accreditation that can impact the accreditation status of an organization.

Please 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 AI-facilitated interactions to learners.

If you have questions about this notification or the responsible use of AI in accredited continuing education, please reach out to us at [email protected]