City Research Online

Abstract

Introduction: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being increasingly integrated into radiography, affecting daily responsibilities and workflows. Most studies focus on AI’s influence on clinical performance or workflows; fewer explore radiographers' perspectives on how AI affects their roles and the profession. This study aims to investigate the perceived impact of AI on radiographers' careers, roles and professional identity in the UK.

Methods: A UK-wide, cross-sectional, online survey including 32 questions was conducted using snowball sampling to gather responses from qualified radiographers and radiography students. The survey gathered data on: (a) demographics, (b) perceived short-term impacts of AI on roles and responsibilities, (c) potential medium-to-long-term impacts, (d) opportunities and threats from AI, and (e) preparedness to work with AI. Overall perceptions (optimism, neutrality, or pessimism) were derived from cumulative answers to a subset of 6 questions.

Results: A total of 322 valid responses were received, showing general optimism about medium-to-long-term impact of AI on careers, roles and professional identity (60.7% optimistic). Most respondents (70.8%) reported no formal AI education or training, with AI education emerging as the top priority for improving preparedness in clinical practice. Concerns centered around the potential deskilling of radiographers and AI inefficiencies. However, 81.2% agreed AI would not replace radiographers in the long term.

Conclusion: Radiographers are broadly optimistic about AI's impact but express concerns about deskilling due to reliance on AI. While their optimism is encouraging for recruitment and retention, there is a clear need for AI-specific education to enhance preparedness to work with AI.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2025 Walsh, Stogiannos, Ohene-Botwe, McHugh, Spurge, Potts, Gibson, Tam, O’Sullivan, Quinsten, Gorga, Sipos, Dybeli, Zanardo, Sá dos Reis, Mekis, Buissink, England, Beardmore, Cunha, Goodall, St JohnMatthews, McEntee, Kyratsis and Malamateniou. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Publisher Keywords:	artificial intelligence (AI), radiographer, radiography, professional identity, clinical roles, AI education, workforce preparedness
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HM Sociology Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science R Medicine > RC Internal medicine
Departments:	School of Health & Medical Sciences School of Health & Medical Sciences > Department of Allied Health
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

Export

Downloads