The Opinion of the General Romanian Population on Introducing an AI-powered Medical Data Collector

Abstract

Introduction: Due to the continuous development of AI, many fields have sought to use AI-powered tools or applications to reduce time and costs and increase efficiency. This study raises the scenario of introducing an AI-powered data collector in medical triage areas and how the general Romanian population would perceive such a change. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out among a random sample of 100 Romanian citizens, from a variety of different cities, the most prevalent demographic being women in the age range of 18-29 from the West of Romania, however the sample wasn't skewed towards that demographic. They were questioned on their AI usage and general experience when using AI tools, then were given a hypothetical scenario in which ER triage personnel were replaced with highly trained AI, and were asked questions regarding how they perceived the scenario. The participants were also informed of their rights and that all data collected would remain anonymous. Results: The study shows that while opinions are varied, the majority were against the introduction of said AI-powered data collector and were distrustful of it. Forty-four percent of the sample reported being uncomfortable with the idea, 46% reported that they did not consider their sensitive information would be safe, and 72% would not share private medical data with an AI. Using the chi-squared test (in JASP), we can also see that usage of AI strongly affects their opinion (p < 0.001), as the participants who use AI for personal reasons are either neutral or positive about the scenario, while those who do not use AI or use it solely for academic purposes are negative and withdrawn at the idea.