Artificial intelligence in clinical microbiology: results from the first National survey by the Italian association of clinical microbiologists

Purpose: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are innovative technologies, gathering particular interest in all laboratory settings. The aim of this study was to assess the current state of AI and ML adoption in Italian laboratories of clinical microbiology. Methods: A structured 63-question survey was developed by the AI/ML in Microbiology Study Group and distributed to all members of the Italian Association of Clinical Microbiologists between December 2024 and March 2025. Responses were collected anonymously and analyzed using descriptive statistics analysis. Results: A total of 163 professionals completed the survey. While 25.4% reported current AI/ML usage—primarily in bacteriology and virology—the majority had limited experience with AI technologies. Only 13.6% of respondents had a good understanding of AI/ML concepts, and 2.5% reported having trained data scientists on staff. Major barriers included lack of trained personnel and insufficient infrastructure. Most participants (99.0%) expressed interest in targeted AI training, and 57.5% showed willingness to collaborate on AI-related initiatives. Large language models (LLMs) were seen as promising, especially for data interpretation, despite low adoption rates. Conclusion: The survey might provide valuable insights to identify priority areas for intervention, guide future training initiatives and develop targeted strategies to promote the adoption of these technologies through a fruitful dialogue with companies and IT professionals.