What is generative AI, really?

Generative AI tools such as Claude and ChatGPT are language models. A useful plain-English description is: a very sophisticated autocomplete trained on a huge amount of human-written text.

This course is not about replacing clinical judgement. AI tools are assistants, not decision-makers. The doctor remains responsible for clinical interpretation, verification, and final sign-off.

• Search engines help you find web pages.
• Medical references help you verify current clinical guidance.
• Language models help you draft, summarize, translate, explain, and structure text.

These are different jobs. A model can sound confident even when it is wrong, so clinical facts must be checked against a trusted source before action.

Where in your day do you write the same kind of message or document more than once a week? Those repeated writing tasks are the safest starting point for AI practice.