(274) Characterization of Student Utilization and Perceptions of Artificial Intelligence Tools in Pharmacy Education

Objective : It is hypothesized that although student pharmacists use AI tools, education on appropriate use in educational or clinical context is lacking. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to characterize the utilization and perception of artificial intelligence (AI) at one college of pharmacy to identify opportunities to incorporate AI into pharmacy education.

Methods: A 14-item survey was distributed to P4 students. Responses for each item was not required. The term “AI tools” was used to refer to large language models including, ChatGPT, Bard, Bing AI, etc. Data were gathered on utilization and perceptions of AI tools in pharmacy education. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze findings.

Results: The survey response rate was 55% (n=36/65). Of the nine respondents (25%) who reported currently using AI tools, 44% (n=4/9) used them for educational purposes. Educational usage included writing assistance, studying for exams, drug or medical information retrieval, finding primary literature, and creating a presentation. Common barriers experienced with AI tool usage included ethics, difficulty wording input prompts or questions, concerns about accuracy of information, and lack of knowledge on AI tool functions. While 77% (n=26/34) felt that they have not received guidance on the appropriate use of AI tools for pharmacy education, 64% (n=18/28) agree that education on utilizing AI tools for academic purposes is needed. Only 50% (n=14/28) of respondents felt confident in their ability to evaluate information obtained with AI tools for accuracy.

Conclusions: With the increasing prevalence and accessibility of AI tools, pharmacy educators need to be aware of how students may be using these technologies, provide clear guidance and education on acceptable usage for academic purposes, and teach critical appraisal skills.