Readiness and Knowledge of Medical Students and Staff in the UAE Toward the Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine.

Background and aim Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an indispensable component of medical practice. Studies have shown that medical students worldwide are often ill-prepared to take full advantage of these technologies in their future practice due to inadequate training and a shortage of qualified instructors. These factors hinder the adoption of AI-focused curricula; therefore, this study aims to explore medical students' and faculty's knowledge and attitudes toward AI applications in the medical field, as well as their readiness for its integration into the medical curriculum, highlighting both the benefits and barriers. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on medical students (years 1-5) and faculty members from the University of Sharjah College of Medicine (UOSCOM), Sharjah, UAE. They were recruited via convenience sampling between February and March 2023. Students and faculty completed self-administered questionnaires, both online and in person. Analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26 (Released 2018; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results Of a total of 413 participants, 74.3% (faculty and students) agreed that the medical field has benefited from AI. Interestingly, 54.3% of students agreed on implementing AI in the curriculum, and 79.3% believe it is necessary, as they see it as a way to empower their careers in the future. However, 51.9% expressed concerns regarding the increase in workload. Of the 45 faculty participants, 66.7% believe that teaching AI would be an addition to their CVs, while 40% disagree that adding the course will increase their workload. Moreover, 77.8% are willing to participate in the course. Conclusions and recommendations The findings revealed a general positive perception, with both groups acknowledging the benefits of AI in medicine. Students show awareness of AI applications in education and healthcare, while faculty express willingness to teach AI courses for professional development. However, we recommend that future studies assess students' baseline computer knowledge and correlate faculty members' specialty fields with their willingness to teach.