Self-learning and Simulation in the 21st Century: From Textbooks to ChatGPT

Abstract The growth of the digital age has corresponded with decreased operative experience and concern for low readiness for practice among surgical trainees, allowing for rapidly advancing technology to attempt to fill this educational need, often through independent study. Online platforms provide an accessible, convenient space for trainees and faculty to obtain e-Learning materials, including operative videos, educational podcasts, recorded lectures, and interactive content. Social media continues to grow as a space for dissemination of such materials and for live and ongoing discussion along the continuum from medical students to expert surgeons. More recently, artificial intelligence–based tools are being studied and implemented as methods for self-assessment for surgical trainees for clinical acumen, board examination preparation, and automated review of intraoperative video. Simulation remains an integral component of the independent development of technical skills with ongoing advancement in physical models and the integration of artificial intelligence and extended reality tools. Surgical education will continue to evolve and benefit from the integration of these technologies into traditional learning methods.