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Article History

Received: 6 May 2025

Accepted: 25 February 2026

First Online: 24 March 2026

Declarations

:

: This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Ethics Committee of Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine under ID number SH-9 H-2022-T30-1. All methods were carried out in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations. Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects. The use of a sham interface in the two control arms involved a limited degree of deception, as the interface did not provide true, performance‑contingent AI feedback. This design choice was explicitly reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee as a minimal‑risk educational intervention, justified on methodological grounds to control for the potential placebo and Hawthorne effects associated with interacting with a novel, high‑tech graphical user interface. To safeguard participants’ autonomy, a structured debriefing procedure was implemented after all study procedures and data collection were completed. During debriefing, students were informed which interface contained the active AI component, which interfaces were sham, and the rationale for using a deceptive element in the study design. They were given the opportunity to ask questions and were offered the option to have their data withdrawn if they felt uncomfortable with the use of the sham interface; no participants requested withdrawal.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare no competing interests.