Impact of the Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Radiology: What Do Students Think?

Abstract

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine, and particularly in radiology, is becoming increasingly prominent. Its impact will transform the way the specialty is practiced and the current and future education model. The aim of this study is to analyze the perception that undergraduate medical students have about the current situation of AI in medicine, especially in radiology. A survey with 17 items was distributed to medical students between 3 January to 31 March 2022. Two hundred and eighty-one students correctly responded the questionnaire; 79.3% of them claimed that they knew what AI is. However, their objective knowledge about AI was low but acceptable. Only 24.9% would choose radiology as a specialty, and only 40% of them as one of their first three options. The applications of this technology were valued positively by most students, who give it an important Support Role, without fear that the radiologist will be replaced by AI (79.7%). The majority (95.7%) agreed with the need to implement well-established ethical principles in AI, and 80% valued academic training in AI positively. Surveyed medical students have a basic understanding of AI and perceive it as a useful tool that will transform radiology.

Medical, dental, and nursing students’ attitudes and knowledge towards artificial intelligence: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…We included 22 original articles published from 2020–2023. These studies were performed in several countries, including the U.S.A [ 18 ], Germany [ 19 , 20 ], Lebanon [ 21 ], Pakistan [ 22 ], Canada [ 23 ], The U.K. [ 24 ], United Arab Emirates [ 25 ], Nigeria [ 26 ], Turkey [ 27 , 28 ], Spain [ 29 ] Saudi Arabia [ 30 ], India [ 31 – 33 ], Egypt [ 34 ], Peru [ 35 ], Nepal [ 36 ], Kuwait [ 37 ], Syria [ 38 ], and multiple countries [ 39 ]. The study design of 19 studies was cross-sectional [ 20 – 38 ], and the rest followed a mixed methodology [ 18 , 19 , 39 ].…”

Comparative Performance of ChatGPT and Bard in a Text-Based Radiology Knowledge Assessment

“…22 It is also important to educate radiologists and radiology trainees about the strengths and weaknesses of AI in radiology, a topic that they are currently underexposed to. 23,24 There are drawbacks to AI chatbots and their potential role in radiology. As mentioned previously, the rationale chatbots provide for their answers can serve as a useful tool for trainees and patients looking to gain knowledge, but a significant downside arises when erroneous responses are justified with confidence.…”

“…22 It is also important to educate radiologists and radiology trainees about the strengths and weaknesses of AI in radiology, a topic that they are currently underexposed to. 23,24…”

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Surgery: What do General Surgery Residents Think?

“…Our study highlights that general surgery residents value the transformative potential of AI in medicine, particularly in radiology, mirroring the perspectives of medical students in a 2023 study. 11 However, they do not anticipate AI fully supplanting human practitioners. Our study is the first to our knowledge to show a correlation between familiarity with AI and its acceptance in future medical roles.…”