Impact of artificial intelligence on the choice of radiology as a specialty by medical students from the city of São Paulo

• Main Authors: Gabriela Irene Garcia Brandes, Giuseppe D’Ippolito, Anderson Gusatti Azzolini, Gustavo Meirelles
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Colégio Brasileiro de Radiologia e Diagnóstico por Imagem
• Series: Radiologia Brasileira
• Subjects: artificial intelligence; radiology; medical students; education; specialty
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-39842020000300008&lng=en&tlng=en

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on undergraduate medical students’ choice of radiology as a specialty. Materials and Methods: In February 2019, an anonymous online survey was sent to medical students. The research contemplated questions on how much students think they know about AI technologies, how much AI discourages them from choosing radiology as a specialty, and whether they believe there is a threat to the radiology job market. Results: A total of 101 students, most of them doing their internship, answered the questionnaire. More than half of them (52.5%) said they believe AI poses a threat to the radiology job market, but 64.3% claimed not to have proper knowledge about these new technologies, and 31.7% said they would like more information on the technologies’ operation and progress before making a decision on whether or not to practice radiology as a specialty. Conclusion: A significant proportion of the surveyed students perceive AI as a threat to the radiological practice, which impacts their career choice. However, the majority claims to have insufficient knowledge of it and believes more information is needed for decision-making.