Investigating Students’ Perceptions towards Artificial Intelligence in Medical Education

TLDR

Implementing a reform in medical education requires students’ awareness of AI’s importance, as AI is expected to play a significant role in future medical practice. The study aimed to investigate medical students’ perceptions of AI in education. A cross‑sectional online survey of 352 medical students (51% response rate) was conducted at Kuwait University from June to November 2021. Most students agreed AI would play an important role (99.1%), 60.5% understood basic principles, 93.4% were comfortable with AI terminology, 83.5% believed learning AI would benefit their careers, 82.1% supported AI teaching, and overall they had positive perceptions, with consensus that AI will transform healthcare but not replace doctors.

Abstract

Implementing a reform in medical education requires students' awareness regarding the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in modern medical practice. The objective of this study was to investigate students' perceptions of AI in medical education. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from June 2021 to November 2021 using an online questionnaire to collect data from medical students in the Faculty of Medicine at Kuwait University, Kuwait. The response rate for the survey was 51%, with a sample size of 352. Most students (349 (99.1%)) agreed that AI would play an important role in healthcare. More than half of the students (213 (60.5%)) understood the basic principles of AI, and (329 (93.4%)) students showed comfort with AI terminology. Many students (329 (83.5%)) believed that learning about AI would benefit their careers, and (289 (82.1%)) believed that medical students should receive AI teaching or training. The study revealed that most students had positive perceptions of AI. Undoubtedly, the role of AI in the future of medicine will be significant, and AI-based medical practice is required. There was a strong consensus that AI will not replace doctors but will drastically transform healthcare practices.