Assessing the influence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) on awareness and behavior in medical research integrity: An online survey study.

Background: Generative Artificial Intelligence(GenAI) significantly enhances medical research efficiency but raises ethical concerns regarding research integrity. The lack of systematic guidelines for its ethical use underscores the need to investigate GenAI's impact on researchers' awareness and behavior concerning integrity.

Methods/materials: A cross-sectional survey of 718 valid responses from Chinese medical researchers assessed GenAI's impact on research integrity using an extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology(UTAUT) model.

Results: The findings reveal that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, technical environment, trust in technology, and supporting conditions positively influence researchers' awareness of research integrity. Conversely, GenAI anxiety and perceived risks exert a significant negative impact. Furthermore, both supporting conditions and integrity awareness are positively associated with integrity behavior, while GenAI anxiety negatively affects such behavior.

Conclusion: The stakeholders in the medical research ecosystem should develop comprehensive guidelines for the responsible use of GenAI. Emphasis should be placed on optimizing the technical environment, enhancing trust and support structures, and embedding integrity safeguards, thereby promoting the synergistic development of technological innovation and ethical research practices.