Determining the general attitudes and anxiety states of health sciences faculty students towards artificial intelligence

Background and Aim: Artificial intelligence technologies are becoming increasingly prevalent in the field of healthcare, making it essential to understand how future health professionals perceive and respond to these innovations. This study aimed to evaluate the general attitudes and anxiety levels of students at the Trakya University Faculty of Health Sciences toward artificial intelligence, and to analyze the influence of demographic and individual factors on these variables. Material and Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study included 722 students at Trakya University Faculty of Health Sciences, selected through stratified sampling. The "Artificial Intelligence Anxiety Scale" and the "General Attitude Towards Artificial Intelligence Scale" were used as data collection tools. Results: Among the participants, 80.6% were female and 19.3% were male. Female students reported significantly higher levels of artificial intelligence -related anxiety compared to male students (p = 0.006). As students' level of knowledge about artificial intelligence increased, their positive attitudes significantly improved (p = 0.000), while their anxiety levels decreased (p = 0.005). A moderately negative and statistically significant correlation was found between artificial intelligence anxiety and attitude scores (r =-0.481; p <0.05). Other variables such as technological proficiency, work experience, and adaptability to change also significantly influenced students' attitudes and anxiety levels (p <0.05). The reliability coefficients for the scales used were high (Cronbach's α = 0.92 for Artificial Intelligence Anxiety Scale; α = 0.72 for General Attitude Towards Artificial Intelligence Scale). Conclusion: The findings indicate that students' attitudes and anxiety levels toward artificial intelligence are significantly affected by gender, knowledge level, technological skills, and adaptability. The study highlights that positive attitudes are associated with lower anxiety, emphasizing the need to incorporate artificial intelligence -related awareness and competency-building components into health education curricula.