Disparities in the practical and ethical implications of artificial intelligence in clinical practices determined by demographic data

<p><strong>Background:</strong> The evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed the provision of healthcare services.<br />However, researchers have not thoroughly examined its practical and ethical implications in Saudi Arabia’s<br />rural healthcare settings. Thus, this study aims to assess the AI integration-related challenges among healthcare professionals based on the demographic locations of the healthcare institutions.</p> <p><strong>Methods:</strong> It employed a cross-sectional study design among 400 physicians and nurses, utilizing a structured<br />online questionnaire. Frequency, mean, and standard deviation were utilized for descriptive data analysis.<br />Independent t-tests and analysis for variance (ANOVA) were utilized for inferential analysis.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong> The majority of the 400 respondents were medical doctors (n = 295, 73.8%). Most participants were<br />from governmental health facilities (n = 348, 87.0%), followed by private (n = 30, 7.5%), and then military (n<br />= 22, 5.5%). 88.0% of the participants were from urban healthcare settings (n = 353, 88.0%). Higher significance means were found pertaining to the AI concerns and ethical considerations associated with respondents working in urban areas compared to rural areas (M = 3.55, p = 0.010; M = 3.69, p = 0.032). No difference was reported in terms of the type of healthcare facilities (p = 0.169, p = 0.613).</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Despite the wide integration of AI-based solutions in urban healthcare institutions, concerns and<br />ethical considerations are significantly higher. Accordingly, future studies are warranted to assess the impact<br />of AI integration on rural healthcare providers’ attitudes and behaviors.</p>