Graduate Students’ Use of Artificial Intelligence Applications in Scientific Research: Prevalence and Association with Perceived Impostor Syndrome

The current study aimed to explore the attitudes of graduate students towards the use of artificial intelligence applications in scientific research and the association with the prevalence and intensity of the perceived impostor syndrome among the students. The study sample consisted of 575 graduate students from several universities in Saudi Arabia. The researchers utilized a mixed-method approach. The scale of Attitude towards AI Technology and the Perceived Impostor Syndrome Scale were administered. The results showed a high positive inclination towards the use of artificial intelligence among graduate students, with 74.3% of students using AI applications in scientific research. The most used AI application was ChatGPT at 67%. The results also highlighted challenges that hinder the use of AI applications in scientific research, such as lack of knowledge and skills, limited resources, high costs, and insufficient technical support. Concerns about misinformation, ethical, and legal aspects were also noted. Additionally, 58% of participants indicated that practical workshops were the most effective type of training to support confidence in using AI. Furthermore, the perceived impostor syndrome rate among graduate students using AI applications was 68% compared to 57% who do not use them. The results indicated no statistically significant relationship between the use of AI applications in scientific research and the perceived impostor syndrome among graduate students. Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Scientific Research, Perceived Impostor Syndrome, Graduate Students, Mixed methods.