Strategic Overview & Phases of AI in OME

The practice of medicine is being transformed by artificial intelligence, and osteopathic medical education is uniquely positioned to lead that transformation. A 2025 national survey conducted by AACOM (see the full report here) across 49 institutions and 715 faculty found that more than six in ten respondents were already using AI at least weekly—a remarkable rate of adoption that signals genuine enthusiasm and readiness across the field. The opportunity is real, and it is already in motion.

The data point toward a faculty body that is engaged, forward-looking and motivated. Nearly half of respondents (48.5 percent) indicated they intended to incorporate AI into their teaching within the next 12 months, and 67.2 percent agreed that AI tools would improve their effectiveness as educators. Yet most still identify themselves as beginners—meaning the desire for growth is there, and the window to build on it is now.

When asked to rank faculty development priorities, foundational AI literacy emerged as the clear first priority, followed by hands-on tool training. Clinical and non-clinical faculty agreed on both, supporting a shared faculty development core. The highest-rated training domains, including AI in competency-based assessment and feedback, policy and governance and AI for curriculum design, directly shape the content areas of the hub.

Institutional infrastructure is still catching up, which is precisely what makes this moment so consequential. Only 16.9 percent of respondents reported policies covering both students and faculty, and nearly half were unsure whether their institution had a policy at all. This is not a field falling behind, it is an open invitation for AACOM to step in as a practical, college of osteopathic medicine (COM)-specific implementation companion at exactly the right time.

Initiative Objectives

Drawing from both the national needs assessment, AACOM's AI and Emerging Technology Strategic Plan was developed in 2026. This initiative is organized around five core commitments: Establish a Foundation for AI Integration; Build Faculty and Institutional Capacity; Integrate AI into Osteopathic Curricula; Foster Collaboration and Innovation; and Address Ethical, Equity and Accessibility Considerations.

Phase 1 — Planning & AI Hub Build

Through April 2026

Phase 1 establishes the infrastructure and content core of the AI Hub ahead of Educating Leaders 2026, the AACOM Annual Conference, operationalizing Year 1 of the Strategic Plan. The Hub launches with four content areas: Governance (policy templates, communication drafts and audit tools); AI Foundations (a six-module curriculum designed for faculty who use AI regularly but identify as beginners); Academics (an Educator's Toolkit for curriculum design, assessment and workflow integration from pre-clerkship through GME); and Showcase (AI implementation videos). Phase 1 also marks the launch of AI-OME, a dedicated community of practice through AACOM’s communities connecting AI champions across COMs.

Phase 2 — Soft Launch & Refinement

April 2026

Phase 2 coincides with Educating Leaders 2026 and marks the hub's soft public launch, with a focus on engagement, feedback and relationship-building with COM leadership. Activities include a pre-conference workshop offering a guided orientation to hub resources, collection of leadership spotlights and implementation stories for the Showcase section, structured feedback from AI Advisory Meeting participants to inform Phase 3 development and formal recognition of AI Advisory Team members for their contributions to the initiative.

Looking Ahead

2026 & Beyond

Phases 3 and beyond will expand the hub to include competency-aligned tools for clinical practice and research, vendor and software resources and microcredentialing pathways, building toward the Strategic Plan's longer-term vision of expanding AI and emerging technology integration across all COMs and assessing progress against evidence-based outcomes.