Abstract
BACKGROUND: The integration of artificial intelligence into nursing education has heightened the importance of AI literacy as a core competency. This study aimed to answer the focused research question: What is the relationship between ChatGPT use and acceptance in relation to AI literacy among nursing students? MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional design was employed, utilising self-report questionnaires administered to 436 nursing students at the Faculty of Nursing at Adnan Menderes University, located in the city of Aydın in Turkey, in June 2024. Data were collected using convenience sampling, including the Student Introduction Form and two validated and reliable scales: the ‘Generative Artificial Intelligence Acceptance Scale’ and the ‘Artificial Intelligence Literacy Scale’. To assess the normality of the data, skewness and kurtosis values (within the range of ± 2) were considered. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and a simple linear regression analyses, with significance set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: The mean AI literacy score was 60.43 ± 9.91, while the mean ChatGPT acceptance score was 68.20 ± 15.14. Nearly all students (99.8%) reported daily use of AI tools. A moderate positive correlation was observed between ChatGPT acceptance and AI literacy (r = 0.327, p < 0.001). ChatGPT acceptance explained 10.7% of the variance in AI literacy scores (R² = 0.107). CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrated a significant relationship between ChatGPT acceptance and AI literacy. Integrating generative AI tools into nursing education may enhance AI literacy and critical thinking; however, longitudinal and experimental studies are required to confirm these potential effects. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-026-08822-7.