AI can analyse text, help generate ideas and streamline tasks, but it does not replace your clinical judgment or evidence-based decision-making. These AI tools don’t ‘know’ nutrition the way a trained dietitian does. AI predicts text based on patterns, which means it may generate outdated, incomplete or incorrect nutrition information, all of which could be harmful.

Statements can be produced by AI that sound good but lack scientific backing. AI will always give an answer, even if it doesn’t know the correct one (some people do this too). Just as you would never believe everything you hear on social media or that somebody tells you, you should always check the accuracy of content developed by AI.

AI cannot carry out a detailed, holistic dietetic assessment taking into account all the factors that we as dietitians consider before giving advice. As a consequence, AI answers are generic rather than individualised to the person you are working with and therefore can be unsafe or completely inappropriate.

Although AI is great for ideas, explaining concepts you plan to verify, or helping to organise your thoughts, it is not suitable when it comes to making clinical recommendations. Always check AI-generated information against trusted, peer-reviewed evidence and practice guidelines.

As dietitians and dietetic students, we are ethically and legally obligated to maintain patient confidentiality, including personal health information. When using AI, never input identifiable patient data such as names, birthdays, medical record numbers or unique case details that could reveal a person’s identity.

Remember that many AI tools store or process user inputs, so even if a tool claims to be private, treat all patient information as confidential. Always consider UK GDPR guidance and research the tool that you plan to use to be sure it is compliant. If there is any doubt, don’t go there. Your HCPC standards and BDA code of conduct apply in all situations, including when using AI. Put very simply, think of AI as a colleague in a crowded space, surrounded by other staff and patients; if you wouldn’t discuss the topic in that situation, don’t type it into an AI tool.

AI can help draft outlines and simplify complex topics, but you are still responsible for producing original work that reflects your own thinking and abilities. Using AI-generated text without acknowledging this or pretending it is entirely your own writing can lead to academic misconduct.

Be sure to follow your institution’s guidance and policies when using AI to avoid any issues. Consider AI an assistant: helpful, informative, but never a substitute for your own work.

AI systems learn from the data they are trained on, which means they can regurgitate misinformation and biases, including those related to religion, ethnicity, weight, culture, socioeconomic status or health behaviours. For example, AI might cause offence, defaulting to language that perpetuates weight stigma or that is not person-centred, using outdated terms like ‘diabetic’. It might provide nutrition advice that assumes people have the resources to buy expensive ingredients and it could offer westernised recommendations that do not reflect diverse cultural foods.

As dietetic students, you play an active role in identifying these gaps. Use your training to assess whether AI output is culturally appropriate, inclusive and aligned with the standards of ethical dietetic practice we aspire to. Whether you’re creating materials for a project, developing a presentation or writing content for patients, be transparent about when AI helped you. Transparency isn’t about diminishing your work; it’s about maintaining professional integrity and showing you understand how to use the tool responsibly.