AI Will Never Tire, But You Will: Exploring What Prompt Fatigue Could Mean for Health Professions Education
Byunghoon Tony Ahn, PhD, MEd
Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2026
Time: 12:00pm to 1:30pm
Hybrid: IRC Room 414 & Zoom*
Zoom Details: For connection details, please email ches.communications@ubc.ca.
Abstract
Against the backdrop of prompt-based generative-AI’s sweeping impact of learning and work processes in the health professions, the juxtaposition between passive reliance on AI that leads to “slop” and consciously, collaborative working with AI is pressing. Many AI systems are prompt-based, and the burdensome repeated demands of careful phrasing, steering, verifying, and repairing outputs can quickly wear down learners. “Prompt fatigue” is an emerging term that represents this phenomenon, but lacks consistent definition or formal investigation within healthcare and education domains. Moreover, the distinct features and practical impacts of burdens associated specifically with iterative prompting remain speculated, and empirically unexplored. This session examines how conceptual analysis can clarify boundaries and indicators of prompting-related burdens in generative AI contexts, and proposes future lines of empirical and practical work the field should pursue to ensure safer and more effective strategies concerning integration of generative AI.
Biography
Byunghoon (Tony) Ahn is a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Health Education Scholarship, University of British Columbia. With his background in healthcare professions education, instructional technology, and learning sciences, Tony’s research interests include simulation-based education, health communication, and digital interventions. He applies design thinking to develop educational resources grounded in practical use. His methodological interests include wearable physiological sensors for emotion analysis, AI-supported qualitative analysis, and single-case study approaches.
The Division of Continuing Professional Development, University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine (UBC CPD) is fully accredited by the Continuing Medical Education Accreditation Committee (CACME) to provide CPD credits for physicians. This activity meets the certification criteria of the College of Family Physicians of Canada and has been certified by UBC CPD for up to 15.0 Mainpro+® Certified Activity credits. Each physician should claim only those credits accrued through participation in the activity. CFPC Session ID: 301903-001 to 301903-010. RCPSC ACCREDITATION: The CHES Cutting Edge Speaker Series is a self-approved group learning activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.