Dual dimensions of artificial intelligence use among medical academia: related knowledge, attitudes and ethical concerns, a national survey, 2025

Abstract

AI integration into medical education and practice has its benefits and risks. This national web-based cross-sectional survey on Egyptian medical staff and students aimed to assess knowledge, attitudes, and concerns regarding the use of AI. This study comprised 2765 medical students and 500 medical staff, with a mean age of 20.8 and 29.9 years, respectively, and higher percentages of females among both groups. Medical students demonstrated satisfactory knowledge of AI compared to medical staff (p < 0.001). Unfortunately, the majority of both groups (80.4% of staff and 81.6% of students) expressed negative attitudes toward AI use. Male participants had significantly higher attitude scores than females in both groups. Knowledge score and gender were significant predictors of attitude towards AI among medical staff (p<0.005), while gender was a significant predictor of attitude scores among medical students (p < 0.001). The total AI usage score in this study was higher among students than staff, particularly for idea generation. Medical staff demonstrated a slightly higher total concern score regarding the use of AI in medical education and practice compared with students. The results emphasize the necessity of engagement, focused education and training, compatible solutions, uniform standards, guidelines, and the smooth incorporation of AI into medical education and clinical practice.