In the Echoes of Tomorrow: The Intersection of Social Work and Artificial Intelligence Through the Eyes of Turkish Students

Abstract

This study aimed to examine social work students’ perspectives on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on social work. This research was prepared with a qualitative design to explore the reflections of social work students in Türkiye and twelve focus groups were conducted. The data were analyzed using MAXQDA, and two main themes were created: opportunities and challenges. The opportunities include innovation, transformative dimensions, and work optimization, while challenges consist of competency for professional practice, ethical issues, and labor sub-themes. The results indicate that students think that AI will increase efficiency in terms of gaining speed and time, reducing bureaucracy, performing risk analysis, and reducing costs. In the research findings, students point out that AI may lead to ethical violations in terms of privacy concerns, the possibility of data misuse, etc. Students emphasize the risk of increased unemployment with the integration of AI into social work. Future research could investigate the long-term impact of integrating AI into social work practice, examining its evolving effect on client outcomes and professional roles.