Undergraduate medical students’ and teachers’ perspectives on ethical challenges and coping strategies of using generative artificial intelligence for academic assignments: A qualitative study

Background Growing ethical concerns have emerged regarding the misuse of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) for academic assignments among undergraduate medical students. Given that the quality of medical education directly shapes students’ professional competencies, exploring both medical students’ and teachers’ perspectives on GenAI use for academic assignments carries significant implications for medical education. Objective To explore medical students’ and teachers’ perspectives on ethical challenges and coping strategies of using GenAI for academic assignments. Methods This study employed a descriptive phenomenological approach using semi-structured in-depth interviews. Purposive sampling was used to recruit undergraduate medical students and their teachers from one medical university between January and April 2025 in Guangzhou, China. Data were analyzed through Colaizzi’s phenomenological method, supplemented by deductive analysis guided by the Responsible Innovation framework to identify key themes. Results A total of 19 participants were interviewed, including 11 undergraduate medical students and 8 teachers. The participants expressed a consensus on the ethical challenges arising from the use of GenAI for academic assignments. Following a thematic analysis, three themes were identified: (1) Subversion posed by GenAI, (2) Limitations and potential risks of using GenAI, and (3) Coping strategies in response to utilisation of GenAI. Conclusions The integration of GenAI in education has raised significant academic and ethical concerns. However, existing regulatory policies and student evaluation mechanisms have yet to adapt to the ethical challenges posed by GenAI. Therefore, strategies such as implementing academic integrity policies for GenAI-assisted assignments, establishing transparent oversight mechanisms, and promoting GenAI literacy education should be adopted to address these issues.