Perceptions and Attitudes of Emergency Physicians in Saudi Arabia Regarding Medical Use of Artificial Intelligence

Comprehensive Summary

Alotaibi et al. conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study to assess the attitudes of Saudi emergency physicians towards AI implementation in clinical practice, specifically their familiarity with AI and perceived advantages and concerns. The self-administered online questionnaire was distributed through national emergency medicine networks from February to April 2025. Eligible participants were actively practicing emergency physicians from Saudi Arabia with at least one year of experience in the field. Among the 101 participants, 51 reported familiarity with AI, including 24 who strongly agreed they were familiar. The majority agreed or strongly agreed that AI use useful medical applications ( 41 and 56 participants, respectively). However, 76 participants disagreed or strongly disagreed that AI had greater diagnostic abilities than human physicians. Regarding job security, 34 disagreed that AI would replace their positions, while an equal number remained neutral about AI making future medical decisions. 75 participants cited rapid access to real-time clinical data, 69 noted AI’s immunity to physical limits or emotional fatigue, and 64 recognized its potential to expedite medical practices. When asked whose opinion they would prefer in the event of a disagreement, 95 chose the physician, four chose the patient, and only 2 chose AI. The primary concern, expressed by 72 participants, was AI’s inability to make decisions during uncertain situations with limited information. Additional concerns included difficulty navigating controversial subjects (69 participants), lack of flexibility with atypical cases (64), development by those with limited clinical experience (49), and inability to consider emotional factors (42).

Outcomes and Implications

AI plays a vital role in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. A McKinsey and Co. report indicates that AI technology and digital health could contribute up to USD 27 billion to the country’s healthcare economy by 2030. This study revealed that 54 of the 101 emergency physicians (53%) expressed positive attitudes towards AI use in medicine. These findings contrast with 2024 literature reporting that only 8.8% of Saudi physicians supported AI use, suggesting a recent shift in perception. This study is the first to describe the attitudes and perceptions specifically among emergency physicians, whose perspectives are particularly valuable given their work in fast-paced, high-risk environments that demand rapid decision-making—conditions under which AI can offer meaningful support. Important limitations include the relatively small sample size and convenience sampling, which may invite selection bias, as well as potential social desirability and recall bias inherent in self-reported data.