Consumers think AI will be good for patient care—but some worries persist
A majority of U.S. consumers are confident AI will have a positive impact on both patients and healthcare providers, according to a new report from Blumberg Capital.
The report, which included survey responses from 1,000 adult consumers from the United States, found that 81% of consumers think AI will directly improve patient care. Eighty-two percent, meanwhile, think it will lead to more collaborations between physicians and healthcare facilities. In addition, 80% of respondents think AI will “have a positive impact on the healthcare workforce itself.”
“The potential of AI in the healthcare industry to deliver major impact is here and now,” according to the report. “Consumers are increasingly open to and, in fact, demanding that care providers, insurers, hospitals and the entire industry adopt new technologies such as AI that can improve healthcare, reduce costs and minimize their concerns about the safety of their bodies and their data.”
Concerns do still exist
Respondents were less optimistic when it came to the performance of advanced AI algorithms. While more than half of consumers think AI could cause errors, 34% worry about AI leading to the mismanagement of their healthcare. Another 18% said they worry about AI-powered robotics systems performing “botched” surgical procedures.
Twenty-five percent of consumers are concerned AI could lead to data security issues, a number that seemed low to the team at Blumberg Capital.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.