AI readiness and literacy among health science students, educators, and professionals in Norway

Project summary

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly important in healthcare, education and professional practice. However, there is still limited knowledge about how prepared students and educators in Norwegian health and technology programmes are to understand, evaluate and use AI in a safe, critical and ethically responsible manner. This project examines AI readiness, AI literacy and attitudes toward AI among students and educators at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, with a particular focus on collaboration between the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Technology, Environmental and Social Sciences. The project starts in autumn 2025 with questionnaire adaptation, piloting and preparation for data collection. The main part of the project will be conducted in 2026 and 2027, with repeated measurements to follow developments over time. The aim is to map how AI is understood, used and perceived in health and technology education, and to identify similarities and differences across disciplines, roles and competence profiles. The project will also explore barriers and facilitators for responsible AI use in education and professional practice, including issues related to ethics, privacy, patient safety, trust, assessment and academic integrity. AI readiness will be measured using an adapted Norwegian version of the Medical Artificial Intelligence Readiness Scale for Medical Students (MAIRS-MS). The instrument covers four dimensions: cognition, ability, vision and ethics. Cognition concerns understanding of basic AI and data science concepts. Ability refers to perceived capacity to apply AI-related knowledge in educational and professional contexts. Vision concerns awareness of the opportunities, limitations and consequences of AI. Ethics refers to legal and ethical considerations related to the use of data and AI technologies. The survey will also include open-ended questions to explore participants’ experiences, perceived needs, concerns and suggestions for how AI should be integrated into education. The project has an interdisciplinary and practice-oriented focus. By comparing perspectives from health and technology education, the project can identify complementary competence profiles. Health education has a particular responsibility for patient safety, professional judgement, ethics and privacy, while technology education contributes knowledge about algorithms, data, system development and technological possibilities. Bringing these perspectives together is necessary if AI is to be used and developed in ways that are safe, transparent and relevant to health and welfare services. The findings will provide a basis for further development of teaching, courses and competence-building initiatives at HVL. The project will identify where students and educators experience the greatest need for support, which topics should be prioritized in future AI education, and how the institution can develop clearer frameworks for responsible AI use. In the longer term, the project may contribute to shared courses or teaching modules at the intersection of digital health, technology, ethics and professional practice. The project is also expected to provide an empirical basis for peer-reviewed publications, internal reports and interdisciplinary workshops between the two faculties.