Pharmacists' propensity to trust automated technologies: A demographic analysis

Artificial intelligence (AI), in conjunction with automated technologies, is being deployed in pharmacies. Little research has been published regarding pharmacists' general willingness to trust AI. Understanding pharmacists' propensity to trust (PTT) AI may help guide the successful implementation and adoption of AI tools.

The objective is to assess pharmacists' PTT AI with automated technology and identify factors that may influence this tendency.

As part of a larger study, licensed pharmacists completed a demographics survey and the PTT survey before testing AI advice on medication fills. The PTT survey consisted of 6 statements about AI and pharmacists indicated their level of agreement using a 5-point Likert scale, with higher numbers indicating more agreement. Summary statistics, Kruskal-Wallis tests, linear regressions, and confidence intervals were calculated.

Ninety-nine pharmacists completed the surveys. The mean pharmacist age was 38.1 years and the median PTT score was 3.83 (P < 0.001). Age was a statistically significant predictor of PTT (β = 0.02, P < 0.001, and R² = 0.11). Linear regressions yielded statistically significant results for age and the work experience category of 21 or more years. No significant differences were found between the PTT scores and gender, ethnicity, race, or pharmacy setting.

Older and more experienced pharmacists had higher PTT scores. Exposure to AI tools during pharmacy education may help younger pharmacists optimize their PTT AI.