Knowledge, perceptions, attitudes, and practices regarding artificial intelligence among Paraguayan medical students: a multicenter cross-sectional study

Objective To assess knowledge, perceptions, attitudes, and practices related to artificial intelligence (AI) among medical students in Paraguay in 2025. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey of 558 medical students in Paraguay. Sociodemographic variables, level of AI knowledge, Likert-scale perceptions, and attitudes towards AI in clinical practice were analyzed. Results Overall, 92.1% of students correctly identified the definition of AI, and 57.5% reported having received prior training in AI. A favorable attitude towards AI improving medical diagnosis was expressed by 61.3%, whereas 76.9% considered that AI complements but does not replace the physician. A total of 84.9% reported feeling comfortable using AI tools in their future practice, and 85.3% expressed interest in receiving specific training in AI in medicine. Conclusions Paraguayan medical students show an acceptable level of AI knowledge, predominantly positive perceptions, and a high willingness to incorporate AI into clinical practice. Nevertheless, the persistent training gaps observed support consideration of structured AI-related content within medical curricula. These findings should be interpreted in light of the predominance of pre-clinical students and the non-probabilistic sampling.