An Early Snapshot of Attitudes Toward Generative Artificial Intelligence in Physical Therapy Education.

Abstract

Introduction: Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly gaining popularity across health care, education, and society. The purpose of this study was to assess perceptions and use of generative AI in academic physical therapy (PT).

Review of literature: Generative AI became one of the fastest-growing technologies ever after the public release of ChatGPT in November 2022. Early data indicate that attitudes toward generative AI in higher education are mixed and rapidly evolving, with significant ethical concerns around use and potential misuse. There are no published studies investigating perceptions and use of generative AI in PT education.

Subjects: A total of 175 surveys were completed and analyzed. Respondents included PT educators, administrators, and students.

Methods: An anonymous, online survey on use and perception of AI was distributed through email and social media. Descriptive statistics and cross-tabulations were performed to analyze respondent characteristics and responses to survey questions.

Results: Most respondents (61.1%) reported they did not use generative AI during the 2022-2023 academic year, whereas 35.4% were generative AI users. More than 40% of respondents were optimistic or very optimistic toward generative AI. Users of AI were more likely to report an optimistic or very optimistic disposition toward AI compared with nonusers. AI users were more likely to agree or completely agree that generative AI has more benefits than drawbacks compared with nonusers.

Discussion and conclusion: Results of this survey suggest that, despite the rapid uptake of generative AI in society, many PT educators and students harbor reservations and uncertainties toward its use. Artificial intelligence users were less likely to hold negative perceptions toward it and were more likely to find it useful. Understanding use and perceptions of generative AI in PT education may inform strategies to promote innovation, policy-making, and ethical integration of this new and rapidly evolving technology.