AI in healthcare statistics: 62 findings from 18 research reports

AI has taken the world by storm. But is the healthcare industry ready to jump on new tech?

To find out, Keragon’s team took a deep dive into the available research. We located and analyzed 18 latest original research reports created by leading authorities such as Deloitte, Gartner, McKinsey, Forrester, Becker’s Hospital Review, and other analysts.

Then we pinned down the latest statistics on AI in healthcare and pieced them together to unveil how AI is shaping the future of the industry.

The result? 

Clear statistics and insights showing different perspectives, highlighting where AI in healthcare is gaining ground and where AI skepticism lingers. 

Curious how hospitals are using generative AI (genAI)? How are clinicians and patients perceiving it? And what’s holding them back? To answer, we have collected 62 AI in healthcare statistics and insights on the growth of AI in healthcare.

We’ve broken down the data into seven key categories, from adoption trends to trust issues, along with what the future holds. Let’s dive into the data to reveal the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence in healthcare market.

#1 Generative AI in healthcare: Adoption, usage, and implementation trends 

(7 stats)

The majority of data paints a picture of cautious yet growing overall adoption of generative AI in healthcare. Organizations are scaling through partnerships, with more physicians warming up to AI. What’s more, consumer acceptance is on the rise. However, opinions on the pace of adoption vary. 
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⚪ When it comes to the pace of implementing AI in healthcare, leaders have differing views. Among respondents, 41% feel the sector isn’t moving fast enough in implementing AI; 32% feel the pace is just right; and 27% believe the shift is occurring too rapidly.

Source: The pulse of AI adoption in healthcare: 2023 Becker’s-Zoom leadership survey

🟢 75% of leading healthcare companies are experimenting with or planning to scale Generative AI across the enterprise. 

Source:  2024 Life Sciences and Health Care Generative AI Outlook Survey, by Deloitte

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🟢 46% of US healthcare organizations are in the initial production implementation of generative AI.

Source: 2024 Generative AI Impact On Clinicians: Bringing The Fever Down, by Forrester

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🟢 In Q1 2024, a majority of healthcare leaders said that their organizations are either already using gen AI tools (29%) or are testing them out (43%).

Source: Q1 2024 Generative AI in healthcare: Adoption trends and what’s next, by McKinsey

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🟢 40% of U.S. physicians are ready to use generative AI this year when interacting with patients at the point-of-care.

Source: 2024 Survey: Generative AI in Healthcare: Growing Physician Enthusiasm by Wolters Kluwer

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🟢 Over 10% of healthcare professionals in the U.S. use AI, and nearly 50% plan to use in the future.

Source: 2023 Perceptions of AI in healthcare: What professionals and the public think, by Tebra

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⚪ In December 2023, only 25% of the interviewed healthcare executives had implemented generative AI solutions. 

Source: Generative AI 2023 Research by KLAS

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#2 Barriers to AI in healthcare: Key challenges, risks, and considerations

Bringing together the data — 12 data-driven insights from 6 different research reports — we revealed a range of concerns surrounding AI in healthcare. The key obstacles the data unpacked are misdiagnoses, transparency, data accuracy, and human oversight. Moreover, healthcare professionals and consumers want to know where the information that AI generated has come from, who created it, and how it was sourced. 

Let’s dive into the statistics that point to key issues raising red flags for GenAI in healthcare.

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🔴 ChatGPT has misdiagnosed 83 out of 100 pediatric medical cases.

Source: Diagnostic accuracy of a large language model in pediatric case studies, Barile J, Margolis A, Cason G, et al. JAMA Pediatr. 2024

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⚪️ 86% of Americans surveyed say the biggest GenAI in healthcare concern is lack of transparency on where the information came from and/or how it was validated.

Source: 2023 Generative AI in Healthcare: Gaining Consumer Trust, by Wolters Kluwer

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⚪️ 83% of U.S. consumers view the potential of AI to make mistakes as one of the largest barriers. 

Source: A majority of Americans are optimistic that AI will improve healthcare in 2024,  survey by Medtronic and Morning Consult

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⚪️ 82% of American consumers agree that one of the problems with using GenAI in healthcare is that information may be coming from internet searches with no filter. 

Source: 2023 Generative AI in Healthcare: Gaining Consumer Trust, by Wolters Kluwer

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⚪️ 89% of physicians report they need vendors to be transparent about where information came from, who created it, and how it was sourced.

Source: 2024 Survey: Generative AI in Healthcare: Growing Physician Enthusiasm by Wolters Kluwer

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⚪️ The top challenges among healthcare organizations pursuing generative AI are risk concerns and considerations. 

Source: Q1 2024 Generative AI in healthcare: Adoption trends and what’s next, by McKinsey

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🔴 Half of Americans (49%) say they are concerned GenAI might produce false information.

Source: 2023 Generative AI in Healthcare: Gaining Consumer Trust, by Wolters Kluwer

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⚪️ 42% of healthcare professionals in the U.S. remain unenthusiastic about AI, citing human interaction and data privacy concerns as key reasons.

Source: 2023 Perceptions of AI in healthcare: What professionals and the public think, by Tebra

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⚪️ 80% of Americans say lack of basic understanding and evidence that AI improves health outcomes are risks to using AI. 

Source: A majority of Americans are optimistic that AI will improve healthcare in 2024, survey by Medtronic and Morning Consult

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⚪️ When asked if they would be concerned knowing that their healthcare provider was using GenAI, four out of five (80%) American consumers said they would be concerned. However, that concern drops to three out of five (63%) if they knew their doctor was using GenAI that came from an established source in healthcare; that it was created by doctors and clinicians; and it was constantly being updated.

Source: 2023 Generative AI in Healthcare: Gaining Consumer Trust, by Wolters Kluwer

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⚪️ 53% of Americans felt that AI can’t replace the experience of a human health expert, and 43% preferred human interaction and touch.

Source: 2023 Perceptions of AI in healthcare: What professionals and the public think, by Tebra

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#3 Trust in AI: Patients and consumers remain skeptical of AI in healthcare

As AI reshapes industries, one question looms large: Can patients and consumers trust it? The answer isn’t straightforward. The data revealed that skepticism is widespread, and that it has grown in 2024 compared to last year. Illustrating a strong undertone of distrust, with only a minority of U.S. patients and consumers confident in AI’s reliability. 

What’s fueling the distrust? The following statistics offer a closer look. 

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(4 stats)

🔴 Three out of four U.S. patients don’t trust artificial intelligence in a healthcare setting. 

Source: Survey on how US consumers use AI in healthcare, by Carta Healthcare

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🟢 29% of U.S. adults trust AI chatbots to provide reliable health information.

Source: KFF Health Misinformation Tracking Poll: Artificial Intelligence and Health

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⚪️ When asked why they’re not using gen AI for health and wellness purposes, more consumers chose “I don’t trust the information” in this year’s survey (30%) than they did in 2023 (23%)

Source: Deloitte Center for Health Solutions’s’ 2024 Health Care Consumer Survey 

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🔴 Compared to last year’s survey, consumers’ distrust in gen AI–provided information has increased among all age groups, with a particularly sharp increase among two key demographic groups: millennials and baby boomers. In 2024, 30% of millennials expressed distrust in the information, up from 21% in 2023. In a similar trend, the percentage of baby boomers expressing distrust rose to 32% in 2024, up from 24% in 2023.

Source: Deloitte Center for Health Solutions’s’ 2024 Health Care Consumer Survey 

#4 Benefits of AI in healthcare: Early wins despite barriers and skepticism

Healthcare’s road to AI adoption is riddled with barriers, issues, and mistrust. But could the benefits outweigh these challenges? 

Despite widespread skepticism, early adopters are already seeing promising results. From improving patient care to reducing administrative burdens, it appears that generative AI is starting to make a measurable impact. The following statistics shed light on the positive changes AI could bring, highlighting how this technology might reshape healthcare.

(7 stats)

🟢 8 in 10 Americans believe AI has the potential to improve healthcare quality, reduce cost, and increase accessibility.

Source: 2023 Perceptions of AI in healthcare: What professionals and the public think, by Tebra

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🟢 About 60% of healthcare leaders who have implemented gen AI solutions are either already seeing a positive ROI or expect to.

Source: Q1 2024 Generative AI in healthcare: Adoption trends and what’s next, by McKinsey

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🟢 Four in five (81%) physicians say GenAI will improve care team interaction with patients.

Source: 2024 Survey: Generative AI in Healthcare: Growing Physician Enthusiasm by Wolters Kluwer

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🟢 Over half of physicians believe GenAI will save them 20% or more time. 

Source: 2024 Survey: Generative AI in Healthcare: Growing Physician Enthusiasm by Wolters Kluwer

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🟢 Over two-thirds (68%) of physicians say GenAI can save time by quickly searching medical literature.

Source: 2024 Survey: Generative AI in Healthcare: Growing Physician Enthusiasm by Wolters Kluwer

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🟢 Three in five (59%) say it can save time by summarizing data about patients from the electronic health record (EHR).

Source: 2024 Survey: Generative AI in Healthcare: Growing Physician Enthusiasm by Wolters Kluwer

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🟢 Nearly half of Americans (45%) say GenAI can help improve healthcare by reading medical tests, X-rays, or images more thoroughly and accurately. Over two in five (42%), would use GenAI as a resource for follow up questions after an appointment or to ask questions about medications when a pharmacist isn't available.

Source: 2023 Generative AI in Healthcare: Gaining Consumer Trust, by Wolters Kluwer

#5 Physicians’ views on AI: Overhyped buzz or problem-solver for healthcare?

As AI gains traction in healthcare, physicians express a blend of enthusiasm and skepticism. While many see the potential for AI to alleviate administrative burdens and improve efficiency, others worry it may complicate care or fail to meet high expectations. 

The following statistics offer insight into physicians’ evolving perceptions of AI, highlighting both optimism for its benefits and caution about its limitations.

(7 stats)

🔴 42% of physicians said AI will be just another factor complicating healthcare.

Source: Third Physician Sentiment Survey (PSS) 2024 commissioned by athenahealth, conducted by The Harris Poll

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🔴 40% of physicians believe AI is overhyped and won't meet high expectations.

Source: Third Physician Sentiment Survey (PSS) 2024 commissioned by athenahealth, conducted by The Harris Poll

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🟢 83% of physicians said AI could eventually reduce many of the problems that healthcare faces if it focuses on reducing administrative burdens and increasing efficiencies.

Source: Third Physician Sentiment Survey (PSS) 2024, commissioned by athenahealth, conducted by The Harris Poll

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🟢 Twice as many survey physicians said that AI would eventually be part of the solution, compared to those who said it is part of the problem.

Source: Third Physician Sentiment Survey (PSS) 2024 commissioned by athenahealth, conducted by The Harris Poll

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🟢 68% of physicians say they have changed their views over the last year (2024), and are now more likely to think that GenAI would be beneficial to healthcare.

Source: 2024 Survey: Generative AI in Healthcare: Growing Physician Enthusiasm by Wolters Kluwer

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⚪️ Physicians are wary of which GenAI tools they would be comfortable using, with 91% of respondents saying they need to know the GenAI sourced materials were created by doctors and medical experts before using it in clinical decisions. 

Source: 2024 Survey: Generative AI in Healthcare: Growing Physician Enthusiasm by Wolters Kluwer

#6 Patients and consumers on AI in healthcare: Usage declines but acceptance rises

As AI becomes more visible in healthcare, patients and consumers are beginning to form opinions on its role and value. While some express hesitation, particularly around transparency and trust, others are increasingly open to AI’s potential benefits. Many see it as a way to reduce wait times, access care remotely, and improve accuracy.

Here’s what the data reveals about how these perceptions are shaping AI’s path forward in healthcare.

(8 stats)

⚪️ Consumer adoption of gen AI for health reasons has remained flat, with just 37% of consumers using it in 2024 versus 40% in 2023. 

Source: Deloitte Center for Health Solutions’s’ 2024 Health Care Consumer Survey 

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🟢 64% of patients would be comfortable with artificially intelligent virtual nurse assistants. 

Source: Report by Syneos Health Communications 

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🟢 1 in 5 consumers who accessed generative AI for health and wellness used it to learn about medical conditions. 

Source: Consumers Believe Generative AI Could Make Health Care More Affordable, survey by Deloitte 

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⚪️ Nine out of ten surveyed (89%) say clinicians need to be clear and transparent about the use of GenAI in healthcare.

Source: 2023 Generative AI in Healthcare: Gaining Consumer Trust, by Wolters Kluwer

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⚪️ 1 in 4 Americans would not visit a healthcare provider who refuses to embrace AI technology. Showing a similar sentiment, one-quarter of our respondents said they wouldn’t visit a healthcare provider who refuses to embrace AI technology. The top reasons patients wanted AI in healthcare were: 1) Faster medical care; 2) Less potential for human error; 3) Remote healthcare access.

Source: 2023 Perceptions of AI in healthcare: What professionals and the public think, by Tebra

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🔴 1 in 4 Americans are more likely to talk to an AI chatbot instead of attending therapy.

Source: 2023 Perceptions of AI in healthcare: What professionals and the public think, by Tebra

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🟢 Of the consumers who have used gen AI for health reasons, 66% think it could potentially reduce extended wait times for doctor’s appointments and lower individual health care costs.

Source: Deloitte Center for Health Solutions’s’ 2024 Health Care Consumer Survey 

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#7 The future of AI in healthcare: Will AI revolutionize healthcare?

As generative AI picks up speed, healthcare leaders and consumers are weighing what it might mean for the future of care. The outlook? Pretty optimistic. 

Despite lingering doubts revealed in the previous sections, many believe AI has the potential to boost efficiency, cut down on admin overload, and even improve patient outcomes. But adoption is still taking shape. In the last section, we’ll dive into the key stats that showcase AI’s promise and the transformative changes it could bring to healthcare. 

(18 stats)

🟢 Healthcare leaders see promise in Generative AI for improving efficiencies (92%) and enabling quicker decision-making (65%).

Source:  2024 Life Sciences and Health Care Generative AI Outlook Survey, by Deloitte

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🟢 By 2027:

○ Clinicians will have reduced the time spent on clinical documentation tasks by 50% through the use of generative AI technologies integrated into the EHR, improving clinician and patient experience.

○ 60% of AI-enabled workflow automations will mitigate staffing shortages and clinician burnout versus patient engagement.

○ The average daily amount of data collected from inpatient rooms, will exceed that of the average ICU bed today.

Source: Predicts 2024: Healthcare Delivery, AI’s Proving Grounds by Gartner

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🟢 Among  healthcare leaders who haven’t implemented gen AI, 41% say they intend to buy gen AI products, which may be driven by this population’s concerns with risk (57% are not pursuing gen AI because of risk considerations) and technology needs (29%).

Source: Q1 2024 Generative AI in healthcare: Adoption trends and what’s next, by McKinsey

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🟢 Healthcare leaders find AI to hold the highest potential value in improving clinical productivity as well as patient engagement and experience.

Source: Q1 2024 Generative AI in healthcare: Adoption trends and what’s next, by McKinsey

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🟢 AI could automate up to 30% of the hours worked by US employees by 2030, but healthcare jobs are projected to remain relatively stable, if not grow.

Source: Generative AI and the future of work in America, by McKinsey

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🟢 Health executives said AI is most likely to help with healthcare administration, operations and clinical care.

Source: Center for Connected Medicine's (CCM's) annual survey Top of Mind for Top Health Systems 

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🟢 80% of health system executives identify AI as the most exciting emerging technology for health care.
Source: Center for Connected Medicine's (CCM's) annual survey Top of Mind for Top Health Systems 

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🟢 Potential benefits from the integration of AI technologies into healthcare are: 1) Predictive analysis and early detections (83%); Automated administration tasks (85%); Enhanced diagnostic accuracy (76%)

Source: The pulse of AI adoption in healthcare: 2023 Becker’s-Zoom leadership survey

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🟢 96% of the surveyed clinical, administrative and IT leaders feel that AI has the potential to improve patient outcomes and experiences. 

Source: The pulse of AI adoption in healthcare: 2023 Becker’s-Zoom leadership survey

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🟢 Nearly two-thirds of clinical, administrative and IT leaders believe AI technology can reduce the overall cost of healthcare delivery.

Source: The pulse of AI adoption in healthcare: 2023 Becker’s-Zoom leadership survey

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🟢 71% of consumers currently using Generative AI thought it could revolutionize health care delivery.

Source: Consumers Believe Generative AI Could Make Health Care More Affordable, survey by Deloitte 

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🟢 More than half (53%) of U.S. consumers believe generative AI could improve access issues and shorten wait times for medical care. 

Source: Consumers Believe Generative AI Could Make Health Care More Affordable, survey by Deloitte 

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🟢 A little less than half of consumers (46%) say it has the potential to make healthcare more affordable.

Source: Consumers Believe Generative AI Could Make Health Care More Affordable, survey by Deloitte 

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🟢 More than half (51%) of U.S. adults are optimistic new applications of artificial intelligence (AI) will lead to major advancements and breakthroughs in healthcare in 2024.
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🟢 Some of the highest levels of optimism for AI in healthcare among consumers are around diagnoses and improving healthcare access.

○ In fact, roughly six in ten adults (61%) agree one of the main benefits of using AI in healthcare is to diagnose and detect health conditions. 

○ Further, approximately two-thirds (65%) of adults agree technology can help break down barriers to healthcare with more than half (56%) saying AI (specifically) can be beneficial in improving healthcare access.

Source: A majority of Americans are optimistic that AI will improve healthcare in 2024, survey by Medtronic and Morning Consult

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⚪️ One third (34%) of Americans believe GenAI will become widely used in healthcare in the next five years, while 19% believe they will see this happen sooner, in the next one to two years.

Source: 2023 Generative AI in Healthcare: Gaining Consumer Trust, by Wolters Kluwer

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⚪️ Among surveyed healthcare leaders who are implementing gen AI, 59% are already partnering with third-party vendors to develop customized solutions, and 24% report plans to build solutions in-house, while only 17% expect to buy off-the-shelf gen AI products. 

Source: Q1 2024 Generative AI in healthcare: Adoption trends and what’s next, by McKinsey

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⚪️ 58% of the interviewed healthcare executives say their organization is likely to implement or purchase a solution within the next year. 

Source: Generative AI 2023 Research by KLAS

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Conclusion

So, where does all this leave us? Patterns in the data highlight that AI in healthcare is both a promising frontier and an uphill climb. While the numbers tell a story of steady growth, mistrust in its reliability hinders adoption. But one thing is clear — AI is pushing boundaries and stirring excitement about its potential to reshape the future of healthcare.

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Key takeaways

• Adoption is happening — steadily but unevenly: While progress may be slower and less universal than expected, AI in healthcare is gaining traction in ways that show early impact.
• Trust, transparency, and risk concerns are the critical barriers: Patients, clinicians, and leaders all want transparency and assurances before AI takes on a bigger role. Until AI proves itself as both reliable, transparent, and secure, its adoption will remain uneven across the healthcare sector.
• AI must prove its worth: For wide adoption, healthcare professionals need to see how AI improves, rather than disrupts, their workflows, decision-making, and patient outcomes.

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The big question remains: Can AI truly transform healthcare and address key concerns at the same time? The next few years will be crucial in answering that. 

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Ready to see what’s next? Keep an eye on Keragon’s blog for the latest industry news and research analysis of AI in healthcare.