A National Survey on the Awareness of Artificial Intelligence Technologies Among Radiation Oncologists - Turkish Society of Radiation Oncology Artificial Intelligence and Information Technology Group Study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE We aimed to investigate the perception of radiation oncologists about artificial intelligence (AI), their current use of AI in clinical practice, and their expectations, concerns, and wishes in terms of the future of radiation oncology (RO) in the era of AI.METHODS An electronic survey was created.RESULTS A total of 108 radiation oncologists participated. One-fourth (24.3%) rated their knowledge of AI as very poor. The majority (94%) reported that they need training about AI. Most respondents (62.6%) indicated that they had never used any AI application. Nearly 90% reported that the introduction of AI would improve RO. Image analysis and target definition were identified as key benefits of AI in RO by 84% of respondents. The medical liability due to machine error and black box uncertainties was the greatest concerns. The need for clinical validation of AI applications, development of ethical frameworks, and medicolegal guidelines was identified as priorities before the implementation of AI in RO by 86%, 78%, and 68%, respectively.CONCLUSION There was a big gap in knowledge within our RO community. The enthusiasm to learn was high. AI applications have not been imposed much in clinical routine. Mostly, the participants felt optimistic about the introduction of AI. The top areas where AI was thought to be most useful in RO were reliant on imaging. The respondents were mostly concerned about the medical liability.