BACKGROUND:
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming higher education by reshaping teaching, learning and administration through intelligent tutoring systems, personalized learning platforms and adaptive technologies.1 These innovations enhance engagement and academic performance while promoting sustainable outcomes.1 AI simulates human cognitive processes such as learning, reasoning and decision-making.2 The launch of ChatGPT in 2022 marked a turning point in generative AI, offering human-like interaction and reshaping educational practices globally.3,4 Despite its growing accessibility, AI integration among students in low- and middle-income countries remains inconsistent, highlighting the need to understand adoption patterns within public health education in South Africa.1 This study aims to determine the prevalence, purpose and most commonly used AI tools among public health students.

METHODS:
A quantitative, descriptive design will be used. Data will be collected through an online questionnaire adapted from Fošner1 and Ajalo et al.3 targeting postgraduate public health students across three cohorts at a South African university. Convenience and simple random sampling will be applied. Data will be analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in Stata 15. Preliminary Results Preliminary results concur with previous studies that show widespread AI awareness and usage among students. In Uganda, 75.7% of medical students actively used AI tools for assignments and research writing.3 European findings revealed gender and disciplinary differences.4,5 Kausar6 reported a positive correlation between AI use and learning behaviours (r = .529, p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS:
This study will generate context-specific evidence on AI adoption among South African public health students, guiding responsible and equitable integration of AI into higher education.