Examining Clinical Educators’ Readiness for Artificial Intelligence in Medical Education: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

Artificial intelligence (AI), treated in this study as an umbrella term for AI-enabled clinical and educational technologies rather than as a single platform, is reshaping medical education, including how diagnostic skills, treatment planning, and patient care are taught. This study examines AI integration in medical education through the perceptions and readiness of clinical educators. Guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, the study explores factors influencing AI adoption in medical training, including performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions. In this exploratory study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 clinical educators in the south-central United States who supervise third-year medical students. Findings suggested six recurring themes: the technological learning curve, the need for hands-on learning, institutional support, mentorship, preservation of human elements, and generational differences in comfort with AI. While some AI-enabled applications may support adaptive and personalized learning, educators expressed concerns about maintaining empathy, patient interaction, and human-centered care. The findings suggest that effective AI integration may require strategic institutional support, ongoing training, and pedagogical change. This study provides insight into developing AI-ready medical education models that balance technical competence with humanistic values.