Master anatomy with AI: Your ultimate study partner

NotebookLM: Organize and summarize your notes

Every successful student knows that staying organized is half the battle. It’s easy to find yourself drowning in notes after just a few lectures, and it’s even worse if you have labs on top of that. This is where the coolest AI you probably haven’t heard of yet comes in—Google’s NotebookLM.

The idea is extremely simple—upload any notes and digital handouts, and it can generate study guides, FAQs, and easy-to-understand summaries for you to look at. Admittedly, these features still need some work before it’s gonna blow your socks off, but considering it does all this in less than 30 seconds, it’s easy to look past a lot of that.

Without question though, the best feature is what’s called an Audio Overview. In just a few minutes, a podcast-like breakdown is generated for you to listen to. It has multiple presenters, and they do deep dives on whatever you upload in a casual but engaging way. The overview feels so real, it sounds like they have chemistry from doing podcasts for years. Their speech is so natural, you’ll hear subtle breathing as they talk and make jokes, all while breaking down difficult concepts so that they’re a breeze to understand.

But, like all AI, it’s not an expert. If something seems a bit off, it probably is. Double-check its output with your notes before you lean on it too heavily as a study aid. It can make mistakes, and while most of the time they’re small enough to not be a big deal, they can also be small enough to miss.

ChatGPT: More than just a super-powered Google

Be honest, you knew this was coming.

ChatGPT started the AI frenzy, and as far as we can tell, it’s still leading the pack. As a Large Language Model, it’s been trained on natural language, making it easy to use whether you’re typing in questions or speaking directly to it. Plus, it’s free for up to around 15 queries every few hours, and everyone loves free.

Confused between flexor carpi radialis and flexor carpi ulnaris? Ask ChatGPT. Forget what a neural pathway is? ChatGPT can help. OpenAI (the creators of ChatGPT) are consistently updating the interface with stronger and smarter models, meaning it’s only going to get better at reasoning through problems.

If you think about it though, this isn’t all that different from Googling the answer. Yes, the response is immediate and directly relevant to your question, but Google responds with trusted resources based on your query, and ChatGPT still struggles to do the same reliably. Still, the convenience of typing in a question to ChatGPT and getting a straight answer is hard to beat.

But that’s only one way to use ChatGPT and arguably the least useful for a student.

Instead, try having it create comparison charts and flashcards, explain difficult concepts like you’re 12 years old, or even quiz you on the material you’ve been studying. The best part? Each of these is interactive and easy to change.

Don’t like the quiz questions? Have it create more with a different style. Comparison chart too basic? Tell it to get creative and more technical at the same time. Trying to understand the location of the kidney? Tell it to generate an image for you.

Although (and this is a big although), it still can’t create anatomically accurate images. That image of the kidney will likely be close to correct, but if you look closer it won’t be exact.

Let’s compare these two images to give a sense of how incorrect AI-generated content can be.

Both images show the kidneys in situ, or “in their original place”, but the differences couldn’t be starker.

While the AI-generated image above is visually stunning, almost everything about it is anatomically incorrect. The organs and various structures of the abdomen are incorrectly placed, shaped, and sized, and the labeling text is completely nonsensical.

For the Kenhub image below, the labeling text is coherent and every structure is anatomically accurate in its size, location and shape.

If you’re looking for detailed diagrams or visual representations of muscles, bones, or nerves, ChatGPT isn’t the way to go, and neither is any image generator. Your best bet is to rely on expert-reviewed resources like Kenhub, where images are designed and vetted by professionals. The human body is complex, and the details matter. If nerves were just squiggly lines thrown into the body, ChatGPT would be the perfect tool for the job. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), nerves take specific pathways to get exactly where they need to go.

The fact is, ChatGPT has its limits. While it can clarify concepts or generate study aids, it makes mistakes, and sometimes significant ones. Not only does it mislead from time to time, but it’s challenging to see exactly where things went wrong, and everything seems like it could be true.

Think of ChatGPT like your friend in class—smart, clever, and extremely capable, but also trudging their way through, mixing things up along the way.

3D anatomy applications: Human dissection in your dorm room

In anatomy, sometimes, reading isn’t enough—you need to see how everything actually fits together. This is where highly detailed and anatomically accurate 3D models come into play.

To be clear, AI can't generate 3D anatomical models based on a user prompt. We're likely years away from that kind of precision and control, as cool as that would be. Still, AI is intimately involved in nearly every level of the graphics applications used to build the 3D models, and this will only continue over time.

With these models, you can rotate, zoom, and peel back layers to explore how muscles, bones, and nerves actually connect, which is basically a gold mine for anatomy students.

The tools aren’t entirely AI either, but instead a blend of technology and human expertise. The AI enhances textures and improves rendering times, but everything is built through the hard work of medical professionals and skilled 3D artists.

Platforms like Complete Anatomy, Zygote Body, and SciePro all use AI to improve things, but the real value comes from the melding of cutting-edge technology and human expertise. If your anatomy program doesn’t come with a cadaver lab experience, 3D tools like this can be huge.

But… it’s a big task to build out an anatomically accurate 3D model and pair it with textbook-quality information. Plus, the human body is incredibly complex, and even with AI supercharging things, the detail isn’t where you’d want it to be.

A lot of 3D tools are pretty clunky too. The response time can be laggy, and it might make your laptop sound like a jet engine getting ready to take off.

They also tend to feel a bit aimless, leaving users clicking randomly, rotating body parts, and then moving on to the next one. Paradoxically, they also tend to feel like too much to handle on top of this. After just a few clicks, it can feel overwhelming with the amount of information at your fingertips. Pair that with aimlessness, and you’re left wishing you had an instructor by your side guiding you through the body.

They also tend to feel a bit aimless, leaving users clicking randomly, rotating body parts, and then moving on to the next one. Paradoxically, they also tend to feel like too much to handle on top of this. After just a few clicks, it can feel overwhelming with the amount of information at your fingertips. Pair that with aimlessness, and you’re left wishing you had an instructor by your side guiding you through the body.

The exciting thing is, all this is all likely to change in time. We fully expect future 3D models will play a massive role in every anatomy student's learning, but for now, they’re mostly a tool that assists rather than a one-stop shop for everything anatomy.

Academic integrity and using AI responsibly

AI is everywhere, and that’s only going to increase over time.

Using Grammarly? That’s AI. Pro Writing Aid? Yep, AI.

Chances are good that every digital tool available to you as a student now incorporates AI to some extent, including everything that Google and Microsoft have to offer.

By the time you read this, both Apple and Google-powered cell phones will likely be filled to the brim with AI, meaning voice notes, camera apps, and even calendars will leave a trail of AI-affected evidence in its wake.

AI checkers are physically incapable of telling whether or not AI actually wrote something or just influenced it through editing, summarizing, or reorganizing, and professors aren’t equipped to properly spot the difference in most cases.

Luckily certain AI checkers are better than others, with originality.ai being the current best option on the market. Still, OpenAI, the FTC, and even originality.ai themselves admit the limitations and ambiguity in AI detection accuracy, showing there’s a lot of work to do in this arena.

When you combine this with the fact that AI can be used to cheat more easily than ever, two things become abundantly clear: academic integrity matters more than ever, and proving you did the work genuinely is becoming more challenging.

Luckily for the typical anatomy student, the use cases for AI are somewhat different than with other subjects like writing, for example. Still, professors and campuses worldwide are becoming more weary about AI usage, and anatomy is likely to feel the effects just the same.

ChatGPT is a valuable tool when used correctly, but a ticket to academic suspension when used inappropriately. This is why it’s essential to find the AI policies and guidelines in effect at your institution ASAP. If you’re confused as to what you can and can’t do, ask your professors to clear things up. If they don’t know, get in contact with your academic advisor to find the details.

Transparency and AI go hand-in-hand. If you’re using AI to assist with assignments, make sure that’s okay with your institution. If it’s not, there’s nothing wrong with using good ol’ fashioned brainpower to work your way through problems, just as thousands of students before you have.

In fact, there’s a strong argument to be made that AI is severely handicapping creativity and reasoning for all users. While this varies on the exact circumstances in which the AI is being used, overly depending on technology of any sort can be a bad idea in the long run.

Research has consistently shown the benefits of handwritten notes compared to audio recordings as it pertains to memory and retention. Then, visually scanning over the notes and manually turning them into study and reference guides, flashcards, and more creates an intimacy with the material that just can’t come from technological sources like ChatGPT and NotebookLM.

Sometimes doing things the hard way is just the right way to go about it. If AI is doing your research assignments, your critical thinking and reasoning skills are bound to disappear, as will the meaningful career opportunities you’re seeking in the first place.

Just like the calculator didn’t destroy mathematical skills like predicted, AI isn’t likely to destroy critical thinking outright. However, if you can’t do long division on a piece of paper, you probably should tuck the calculator into your backpack for a while.

The future of AI in anatomy: What’s on the horizon?

The last few years have felt like a lifetime, or at least that’s the case in the technology sector. AI has come a long way, but it’s just getting started.

If we take a moment and allow ourselves to speculate on where things are headed, it’s easy to get excited when imagining the future of anatomy education.

So, what’s on the horizon? One possibility is generative AI models that create accurate 3D anatomical renderings entirely from scratch. Picture this: typing a prompt into the latest 3D tool asking to see all known possible variations of the pudendal nerve, and then watching it materialize in front of you while wearing a virtual reality headset.

Imagine an AI that could personalize those models based on the individual needs of learners, and can even adapt to their specific curricula. It could give real-time feedback during 3D dissections, point out mistakes, or offer deeper insights into what you’re studying. Imagine asking a virtual professor to demonstrate scalpel technique, and then watching as the AI renders the movements perfectly.

This could revolutionize anatomy from the ground up, all while providing opportunities to students that otherwise couldn’t happen.

However, we’re not quite there yet. Everything we just mentioned is still science fiction, but also something many start-ups are working towards at this very moment.

The future of AI in anatomy is wonderful to think about, but let’s not get the horse in front of the cart just yet.

Embracing AI as a study partner

AI has already changed the learning landscape, and even greater changes are likely nipping at our heels. Tools like ChatGPT, NotebookLM, and AI-assisted platforms like SciePro are just the beginning, yet they’ve already made differences that are difficult to measure in many subjects, anatomy included.

But just like your friend, AI’s role is to complement your learning, not replace the expertise of your professors and textbooks.

The power of AI lies in its ability to make learning more efficient and personalized, but it still makes mistakes and provides incomplete answers, especially when it comes to complex subjects like anatomy.

Play around with different AI tools, but cross-check AI-generated content with trusted, expert-reviewed resources (like Kenhub) to guarantee you’re not digitally swindled.

Better yet, try using AI alongside Kenhub to get the best of both worlds.

• Tailor the lessons: Have ChatGPT explain concepts you’re learning at Kenhub by personalizing it exactly to your future career (exercise science, cardiology, nursing, etc)
• Create new mnemonics: Find something you want to remember come test time? First, try out the mnemonics we’ve already added to our articles and videos. If you’re looking for that personal touch, give ChatGPT the info and have it create a mnemonic for you
• Analogies: After a Kenhub study session, ask AI to provide analogies to make things easier to understand. Just type in something like “I’m struggling with this one. Could make an analogy to help me understand a bit better?” Or, you could even get specific with the analogy, having it create a comparison with something you’re familiar with. Say something like, “Could you help me understand this better by making an analogy involving the ocean?”
• Simplify: Have AI explain an anatomical concept like you’re a child or a complete novice. Say something like, “Can you explain this to me as though I was 10 years old?” Or, “Can you explain this to me as if I’ve never had a biology class before?”

Embrace AI’s strengths while remembering its limitations. Use it to supplement your study sessions, organize your messy notebooks, and provide personalized feedback, but always lean on expert knowledge. This way, you’ll get the best of both worlds: the innovation of AI and the reliability of experts.