R-AI-diographers: Investigating the perceived impact of Artificial Intelligence on Radiographers' Careers, Roles, and Professional Identity in the UK

Gemma Walsh^1,2*Nikolaos Stogiannos^1,3Benard Ohene-Botwe¹Kevin McHugh⁴Alexander Spurge⁵Ben Potts^1,6Christopher Gibson⁷Winnie Tam¹Chris O'Sullivan¹Anton S Quinsten⁸Rodrigo Garcia Gorga⁹David Sipos¹⁰Elona Dybeli¹¹Moreno Zanardo¹²Cláudia Sá Dos Reis¹³Nejc Mekis¹⁴Carst Buissink^15,16Andrew England^15,17Charlotte Beardmore^15,18Altino Cunha¹⁵Amanda H Goodall¹⁹Janice St John-Matthews²⁰Mark McEntee^15,17Yiannis Kyratsis²¹Christina Malamateniou^1,15,22

• ¹City University of London, London, United Kingdom
• ²Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, Gateshead, England, United Kingdom
• ³Magnitiki Tomografia Kerkiras, Corfu, Greece
• ⁴University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, South East England, United Kingdom
• ⁵Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Portsmouth, United Kingdom
• ⁶University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, United Kingdom
• ⁷Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, Maidstone, London, City of, United Kingdom
• ⁸Essen University Hospital, Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
• ⁹Hospital Universitari Parc Taulí, Sabadell, Spain
• ¹⁰University of Pécs, Pécs, Baranya, Hungary
• ¹¹Aleksandër Xhuvani University, Elbasan, Elbasan, Albania
• ¹²IRCCS San Donato Polyclinic, San Donato Milanese, Italy
• ¹³University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland, Delémont, Jura, Switzerland
• ¹⁴University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• ¹⁵European Federation of Radiographer Societies (EFRS), Cumieira, Portugal
• ¹⁶Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, Netherlands
• ¹⁷University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
• ¹⁸Society and College of Radiographers, London, United Kingdom
• ¹⁹Bayes Business School, City University of London, London, England, United Kingdom
• ²⁰NHS England, London, England, United Kingdom
• ²¹Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
• ²²European Society of Medical Imaging Informatics (EuSoMII), Vienna, Austria

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.