<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><!DOCTYPE article PUBLIC "-//NLM//DTD Journal Publishing DTD v2.0 20040830//EN" "journalpublishing.dtd"><article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" dtd-version="2.0" xml:lang="en" article-type="letter"><front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="nlm-ta">JMIR Med Educ</journal-id><journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">mededu</journal-id><journal-id journal-id-type="index">20</journal-id><journal-title>JMIR Medical Education</journal-title><abbrev-journal-title>JMIR Med Educ</abbrev-journal-title><issn pub-type="epub">2369-3762</issn><publisher><publisher-name>JMIR Publications</publisher-name><publisher-loc>Toronto, Canada</publisher-loc></publisher></journal-meta><article-meta><article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">v12i1e101696</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.2196/101696</article-id><article-categories><subj-group subj-group-type="heading"><subject>Letter to the Editor</subject></subj-group></article-categories><title-group><article-title>Methodological Concerns in AI Medical Education Frameworks</article-title></title-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><name name-style="western"><surname>Fatima</surname><given-names>Syeda Urooj</given-names></name><degrees>MBBS</degrees><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"/></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author" corresp="yes"><name name-style="western"><surname>Fatima</surname><given-names>Emaan</given-names></name><degrees>MBBS</degrees><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"/></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author"><name name-style="western"><surname>Kumari</surname><given-names>Ragni</given-names></name><degrees>MBBS</degrees><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"/></contrib></contrib-group><aff id="aff1"><institution>Dow University of Health Sciences</institution><addr-line>E-120 Al-Falah Housing Project, Malir Halt, Karachi</addr-line><addr-line>Karachi</addr-line><addr-line>Sindh</addr-line><country>Pakistan</country></aff><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="editor"><name name-style="western"><surname>Stone</surname><given-names>Alicia</given-names></name></contrib><contrib contrib-type="editor"><name name-style="western"><surname>Zelko</surname><given-names>Sofia</given-names></name></contrib></contrib-group><author-notes><corresp>Correspondence to Emaan Fatima, MBBS, Dow University of Health Sciences, E-120 Al-Falah Housing Project, Malir Halt, Karachi, Karachi, Sindh, 75210, Pakistan; <email>emaan.fatima24@dmc.duhs.edu.pk</email></corresp></author-notes><pub-date pub-type="collection"><year>2026</year></pub-date><pub-date pub-type="epub"><day>6</day><month>7</month><year>2026</year></pub-date><volume>12</volume><elocation-id>e101696</elocation-id><history><date date-type="received"><day>18</day><month>05</month><year>2026</year></date><date date-type="rev-recd"><day>28</day><month>05</month><year>2026</year></date><date date-type="accepted"><day>17</day><month>06</month><year>2026</year></date></history><copyright-statement>&#x00A9; Syeda Urooj Fatima, Emaan Fatima, Ragni Kumari. Originally published in JMIR Medical Education (<ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://mededu.jmir.org">https://mededu.jmir.org</ext-link>), 6.7.2026. </copyright-statement><copyright-year>2026</copyright-year><license license-type="open-access" xlink:href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"><p>This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (<ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</ext-link>), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in JMIR Medical Education, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://mededu.jmir.org/">https://mededu.jmir.org/</ext-link>, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.</p></license><self-uri xlink:type="simple" xlink:href="https://mededu.jmir.org/2026/1/e101696"/><related-article related-article-type="commentary article" ext-link-type="doi" xlink:href="10.2196/76340" xlink:title="Comment on" xlink:type="simple">https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e76340</related-article><related-article related-article-type="commentary" ext-link-type="doi" xlink:href="10.2196/104447" xlink:title="Comment in" xlink:type="simple">https://www.jmir.org/2026/1/e104447</related-article><kwd-group><kwd>artificial intelligence</kwd><kwd>medical education</kwd><kwd>machine learning</kwd><kwd>adaptive learning systems</kwd><kwd>future implications</kwd></kwd-group></article-meta></front><body><p>We read with great interest the recently published viewpoint by Izquierdo-Condoy et al [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref1">1</xref>] on artificial intelligence (AI) in medical education and their proposed FACETS (form, application, context, instructional mode, technology, SAMR [substitution, augmentation, modification, redefinition]) framework. While we commend the authors for a timely overview, we wish to highlight two concerns, the resolution of which may further strengthen the article.</p><p>First, the authors cite Abdelwanis et al [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref2">2</xref>] to support the claims about AI-driven educational inequities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, the cited study presents a conceptual bowtie analysis of automation bias conducted at an institution in a high-income country (the United Arab Emirates) with no LMIC populations, data, or contextual analysis&#x2014;and explicitly excludes human or animal participants, further restricting its empirical validity. Therefore, citing this reference to support an LMIC-specific argument is a form of citation distortion; that is, it is deploying a source beyond the boundaries of its actual scope. This is not a minor citation error. Equity arguments built on mismatched evidence invite dismissal by reviewers and policymakers &#x2014;weakening advocacy where it is most needed. If LMIC-specific AI education gaps cannot be substantiated with direct evidence, then there is a real risk that resource allocation decisions and curriculum reform efforts in low-income settings will be deprioritized or delayed. This matters because LMIC disparities in AI medical education are real and widening: Ong et al [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref3">3</xref>] demonstrated that LMIC experts were significantly less likely to consider AI learning outcomes mandatory compared to high-income country peers&#x2014;a finding that would have directly and legitimately supported the authors&#x2019; argument.</p><p>Second, the authors retrospectively mapped the FACETS framework onto 2 single-institution feasibility studies by authors from well-resourced European universities&#x2014;Holderried et al [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref4">4</xref>] (n=106 conversations in T&#x00FC;bingen) and Luordo et al [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref5">5</xref>] (n=96 students in Madrid), while acknowledging that these studies did not explicitly use FACETS. Critically, both studies revealed unresolved AI performance gaps: 8 of 45 feedback categories showed low concordance with human raters in Holderried et al [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref4">4</xref>], and AI scoring was systematically stricter than expert grading, by 3.51 points, in Luordo et al [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref5">5</xref>]&#x2014;concerns that FACETS fails to address. Retrospective application shows descriptive compatibility, not predictive validity &#x2014;a key distinction for responsible advocacy. A framework that only describes the past cannot help institutions anticipate AI failures. In high-stakes contexts like objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) grading or history-taking, such failures directly harm assessment integrity and patient safety preparation. If institutions in diverse, resource-limited settings adopt FACETS based on this evidence, they risk implementing AI-driven assessments calibrated to well-resourced European contexts, potentially disadvantaging students in settings where infrastructure, language, and clinical exposure differ substantially. Before FACETS is supported as a guiding standard, it must undergo multi-institutional, cross-cultural validation.</p><p>As AI integrates into medical education, frameworks must be evaluated across diverse settings. Without rigorous validation, weak evidence will undermine equity efforts, and premature framework adoption will shape curricula that are difficult to reverse &#x2014; ultimately compromising the preparedness of future physicians in the very places that need improvement most.</p></body><back><fn-group><fn fn-type="conflict"><p>None declared.</p></fn></fn-group><glossary><title>Abbreviations</title><def-list><def-item><term id="abb1">AI</term><def><p>artificial intelligence</p></def></def-item><def-item><term id="abb2">FACETS</term><def><p>form, application, context, instructional mode, technology, [substitution, augmentation, modification, redefinition]</p></def></def-item><def-item><term id="abb3">LMIC</term><def><p>low- and middle-income country</p></def></def-item><def-item><term id="abb4">OSCE</term><def><p>objective structured clinical examination</p></def></def-item></def-list></glossary><ref-list><title>References</title><ref id="ref1"><label>1</label><nlm-citation 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