Generative AI Chatbots in Chinese Postgraduate Medical Education: Adoption Patterns, Attitudes, and Concerns

Background Generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are gaining attention in medical education for their potential to support academic writing, clinical reasoning, and personalized learning. However, little is known about their adoption, benefits, and concerns among Chinese postgraduate medical students, particularly across distinct clinical- and academic-track programs. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 340 postgraduate medical students (146 males, 194 females) from two universities in Chengdu, China. A structured questionnaire assessed AI awareness, usage patterns, perceived benefits, attitudes, and concerns. Descriptive statistics, sensitivity analyses, and Pearson correlation analyses were applied to examine differences by gender and degree type. Results Most students (82.9%) reported strong AI awareness, with DeepSeek (90.9%) and ChatGPT (55.2%) being the most frequently used tools. Common applications included literature review (61.5%), exam preparation (55.0%), clinical case analysis (48.5%), and academic writing (43.2%). Reported benefits encompassed faster information retrieval (70.8%), improved writing precision (64.3%), and greater confidence in clinical decision-making (58.0%). Overall satisfaction was high (mean 4.4/5), and 84.0% of participants supported integration of AI into medical curricula. Female students reported more frequent use but greater concerns, while clinical-track students demonstrated higher awareness and satisfaction than academic-track students. Correlation analyses revealed positive associations among awareness, usage, perceptions, and attitudes, whereas concerns about accuracy, academic misconduct, and data security were largely independent of prior exposure. Conclusions Generative AI chatbots are widely adopted and valued by Chinese postgraduate medical students. Structured integration into medical curricula, accompanied by clear ethical safeguards, is essential to maximize benefits while addressing potential risks.