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Abstract

BACKGROUND

Technologies available for applied public health practice are rapidly evolving. Artificial intelligence (AI) tools have become more accessible, however, their utilisation by field epidemiologists has not been described.

AIM

We explored AI use among Canadian, European, and United States (US) Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) fellows.

METHODS

Fellows in the three programmes (n = 220) were invited to an online survey available from 25 November 2024 to 5 December 2024. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected concerning the AI platforms fellows used, AI applications, comfort level when applying AI, use frequency, impact on work, barriers, ethical concerns, AI policy/guideline availability, and AI training.

RESULTS

There were 105 (48%) survey respondents: 13, 56 and 36 in the Canadian, US and European FETPs respectively. The proportion of respondents who reported applying AI for work was 66% (69/105) overall, and highest among respondents of the European programme (32/36). The most adopted platform was ChatGPT (60/69; 87%), and the most common application was analytical coding assistance (63/69; 91%). Among AI users, most felt somewhat comfortable (34/69; 49%) or comfortable (24/69; 35%) with AI and reported weekly (29/69; 42%) or daily (21/69; 30%) use. Generally, AI’s reported impact was positive. Challenges included technical difficulties, accuracy concerns, bias introduction, uncertainty regarding permissible uses, and data privacy issues. Among respondents, 47% (49/105) affirmed having AI policies/guidelines in their institutions and 20% (21/105) had received AI training.

CONCLUSION

To further incorporate AI use among its fellows, FETPs should monitor AI’s evolving role, and provide guidance and adapt curricula accordingly.

© Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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2026-07-02
2026-07-18
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Artificial intelligence (AI) in action: a cross-continental survey of AI adoption among field epidemiology fellows in Canada, the United States, and Europe, 2024
<p class="citation"> <span>Citation style for this article:</span> <span class="meta-value authors"> <a href="/search?value1=Courtney+R+Smith&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Smith Courtney R</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Natalie+Girin&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Girin Natalie</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Kathleen+Laberge&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Laberge Kathleen</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Seth+Manthey&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Manthey Seth</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Pasha+Marcynuk&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Marcynuk Pasha</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Eric+Pevzner&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Pevzner Eric</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Adam+Roth&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Roth Adam</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Louis+Wong&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Wong Louis</a></span>. Artificial intelligence (AI) in action: a cross-continental survey of AI adoption among field epidemiology fellows in Canada, the United States, and Europe, 2024. <a href="/content/ecdc">Euro Surveill.</a> 2026;31(26):pii=2500677. <a href="https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.26.2500677" title="doi link" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.26.2500677</a> <span class="ES_Article_citation"> <span class="generated">Received</span>: 29 Aug 2025;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="generated">Accepted</span>: 05 Mar 2026 </span> </p>
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