A Study to Assess the Awareness and Attitudes Towards Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools Among Medical Trainees and...

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into healthcare and medical education, offering support in clinical decision-making, learning, and information retrieval. However, its effective adoption depends on users' awareness, perception, and readiness. The study aimed to evaluate awareness and utilization of AI tools, assess perceptions, and identify facilitators and barriers influencing their acceptance among healthcare professionals and medical students.  Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2025 to January 2026 at a tertiary care center in Southern Rajasthan among 377 participants, including consultants, postgraduate trainees, and undergraduate students. A semi-structured, pre-validated, web-based questionnaire was used.  Results: Among all, 327 (86.7%) participants were aware of AI bots, while only 51 (13.5%) had received formal training. Despite this, 302 (82%) reported using AI tools for academic and clinical purposes, with 93 (24.7%) using them daily. Common uses included clinical decision-making, studying medical concepts, and preparing presentations. Participants' primary concerns included accuracy (190, 50.4%), impact on critical thinking (235, 62.3%), and interpretation challenges (155, 41%). Major barriers identified were a lack of awareness, reliability issues, fear of academic misconduct, poor internet connectivity, and a lack of faculty endorsement. Facilitators included institutional guidelines, faculty training, workshops, mentorship, and curriculum integration.  Conclusion: AI tools are widely used among healthcare professionals and students despite limited formal training. While perceived as useful and time-saving, concerns regarding reliability, ethics, and overdependence persist. Strengthening training, developing clear guidelines, and integrating AI into medical curricula are essential to ensure safe and effective utilization.