Teaching Tomorrow’s Pharmacists in an AI World: Risk, Responsibility, and Reflection

The rapid integration of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) into higher education has created both opportunities and tensions, particularly within pharmacy education, where precision, ethical reasoning, and professional judgment are paramount. This commentary explores the complex role of genAI in pharmacy education through a process-versus-product framework, highlighting risks of overreliance by students and underscoring the responsibility of faculty to model ethical, reflective use. We advocate for structured genAI literacy initiatives, thoughtful policy development, and assessment redesigns that reinforce critical thinking over rote correctness. Responsible genAI use should be embedded as a core professional competency, akin to the use of clinical decision-support tools. Importantly, pharmacy educators must reclaim and enhance the efficiencies gained through genAI to deepen mentorship and foster student growth, not to increase productivity demands. The commentary concludes with a call for pharmacy education to remain human-centered, ensuring that genAI serves as a tool to elevate, rather than replace, the human in education.