Patient perceptions on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in fertility treatment.

Abstract

The objective was to evaluate patient knowledge, attitudes and perceptions on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology within a fertility clinic. Patients were undergoing treatment between June 2024 and December 2024. The Main Outcome Measure(s) were Likert Comfort levels scale and Qualitative analysis of responses. Overall, 206 responses were received. While 41% believed that AI could improve outcomes, most (56%) indicated that they 'did not know'. Overall, respondents were comfortable with AI being used in administrative tasks (69%), assisting with clinical decisions (67%) and assisting an embryologist (74%). However, respondents were not comfortable with AI alone performing embryo selection (93.1%), conducting semen analysis (89.2%), sperm selection in ICSI (90.2%) or reporting an ultrasound scan (84.5%). Men were more likely to be comfortable with AI alone determining which embryo to transfer (p = 0.0037), conducting semen analysis (p = 0.01), and sperm selection for ICSI (p = 0.02). Dominant themes regarding the benefits of AI included its use as an assistant, improving efficiency, and reducing error, while dominant themes of patient concerns included human replacement, loss of empathy, and the need for monitoring. Patients have concerns regarding the introduction of AI into fertility care, with men more likely than women to be comfortable.