Background: There has been a rise in the popularity of ChatGPT and other chat-based artificial intelligence (AI) apps in medical education. Despite data being available from other parts of the world, there is a significant lack of information on this topic in medical education and research, particularly in Saudi Arabia.
Objective: The primary objective of the study was to examine the familiarity, usage patterns, and attitudes of Alfaisal University medical students toward ChatGPT and other chat-based AI apps in medical education.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted from October 8, 2023, through November 22, 2023. A questionnaire was distributed through social media channels to medical students at Alfaisal University who were 18 years or older. Current Alfaisal University medical students in years 1 through 6, of both genders, were exclusively targeted by the questionnaire. The study was approved by Alfaisal University Institutional Review Board. A χ2 test was conducted to assess the relationships between gender, year of study, familiarity, and reasons for usage.
Results: A total of 293 responses were received, of which 95 (32.4%) were from men and 198 (67.6%) were from women. There were 236 (80.5%) responses from preclinical students and 57 (19.5%) from clinical students, respectively. Overall, males (n=93, 97.9%) showed more familiarity with ChatGPT compared to females (n=180, 90.09%; P=.03). Additionally, males also used Google Bard and Microsoft Bing ChatGPT more than females (P<.001). Clinical-year students used ChatGPT significantly more for general writing purposes compared to preclinical students (P=.005). Additionally, 136 (46.4%) students believed that using ChatGPT and other chat-based AI apps for coursework was ethical, 86 (29.4%) were neutral, and 71 (24.2%) considered it unethical (all Ps>.05).
Conclusions: Familiarity with and usage of ChatGPT and other chat-based AI apps were common among the students of Alfaisal University. The usage patterns of these apps differ between males and females and between preclinical and clinical-year students.
Keywords: AI; AI apps; ChatGPT; artificial intelligence; attitude; chat-based; ethics; large language model; medical education; medical students; social media.
© Safia Elwaleed Elhassan, Muhammad Raihan Sajid, Amina Mariam Syed, Sidrah Afreen Fathima, Bushra Shehroz Khan, Hala Tamim. Originally published in JMIR Medical Education (https://mededu.jmir.org).