It’s Not Just About the Tools: Emotionally Responsive GenAI Education

Background & Need for Innovation: Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is rapidly entering health professions education, yet most training emphasizes tool use and ethical guidelines while neglecting emotional readiness. Educators often experience affective discomfort, such as a fear of obsolescence, uncertainty about the ethical use of GenAI, and threats to their professional identity, which can undermine their engagement with GenAI. Few professional development models offer structured support to address these barriers.

Goal of Innovation: To show that emotional readiness is not a secondary concern but the central determinant of GenAI adoption.

Steps Taken for the Development and Implementation of Innovation: We conducted a six-week, fully online, asynchronous course titled AI in Health Professions Education for healthcare professionals that integrated two core innovations: (1) an emotionally responsive, learner-centered environment and (2) a structured assignment framework, FAIR—Familiarization, Application, Interpretation, and Recalibration. The course prioritized emotional safety, instructor vulnerability, and learner agency to support educators through identity disruption and build reflective engagement with GenAI.

Outcomes of the Innovation: Three cohorts (N = 40) participated in the course. Pre-course surveys revealed a mix of experience with GenAI and a wide range of emotional responses, including fear, excitement, and apprehension. Thematic analysis of end-of-course reflections showed a shift from anxiety to confidence and from resistance to leadership. Participants reported using GenAI tools in teaching, curriculum design, and faculty development. Six-month follow-up interviews (n = 5) demonstrated sustained tool use and institutional dissemination. Learners described themselves as change agents and expressed a commitment to supporting peers in the adoption of GenAI.

Critical Reflection: This approach shifted learners from apprehension to leadership, proving emotional safety is key to GenAI adoption. Key pitfalls are the high instructor resource intensity and the entanglement of the FAIR framework and emotional design. We argue that this entanglement is the innovation, and emotional safety is the necessary precondition for the framework’s success.