Top 6 worries about healthcare AI among clinicians and patients in 2026

AI is now as much a part of U.S. healthcare as any other technology category in wide use across the sector. However, like no other technology, its role is “being actively shaped, not passively adopted” by clinicians and patients alike. 

So observe the authors of a new survey report released June 2 by Wolters Kluwer Health. 

“The study found both groups see it as imperative to establish clear guardrails for how, when and where AI is being used in the care experience,” the analysts write. 

A section of the report looks at which concerns are perceived as most pressing by both patients and clinicians. Wolters Kluwer homes in on six of these, as follows. 

1. Nearly three out of four clinicians (72%) and three out of five (61%) patients are concerned that AI-generated information sponsored by ads could introduce bias into healthcare decision-making. 

While many GenAI apps are ad-free, some consumer apps and professional health AI apps feature advertising, the authors note. 

“Both patient and clinician respondents are concerned that biases from advertisers such as pharmaceutical and medical device companies may influence the answers provided about care decisions,” they write. 

2. Clinician awareness of formal AI governance policies inside their own healthcare organizations increased at a snail’s pace year over year, from 21% in 2025 to a still modest 27% in 2026. 

Healthcare organizations may be struggling to implement effective governance programs to ensure the right AI tools are being used and the right guardrails being adhered to, the analysts surmise. 

“Another awareness-related issue is tied to how well governance policies are being communicated, a hallmark of a successful program,” they point out. 

3. Three-quarters of clinicians are concerned about losing their skills when leaning on AI. 

About half of clinicians (53%) say they want AI to be required to show the detailed reasoning behind its responses, the authors report before adding: 

“On a positive note, 77% of clinicians indicated they double-check AI answers with original sources or trusted databases like PubMed or UpToDate. And four out of five patients now expect it: 78% want clinicians to verify AI answers.”

4. Compounding deskilling anxieties, three-quarters of clinicians (74%) cite AI hallucinations as a major concern now affecting their ability to practice appropriately. 

Still, 73% are somewhat or very confident in their ability to spot whether an answer is clinically valid without consulting an outside source. 

“That leaves a quarter of U.S. clinicians who are simply not sure if they can identify incorrect medical information without cross-checking sources.”

5. Some 75% of patients are concerned about accountability if AI contributes to harm during the care process. 

Many questions remain unanswered regarding patient harm, professional ethics and exposure risk when a clinician follows the guidance of a clinical AI app and causes harm to the patient, the authors remark. 

“Even with ironclad terms and conditions about apps’ limited role in decision making, are clinicians and their healthcare organizations fully grappling with how AI apps can affect care.”

6. More than 90% of clinicians and 89% of patients believe human experts should validate the sources behind AI-generated healthcare content used for patient care. 

Healthcare decisions, from treating mundane and familiar winter bugs to complex life-and-death choices, stand wholly apart from domains that are fully automated with AI, the authors state. 

“Patients and clinicians are united in demanding experts with real-world experience play a part in testing and confirming what goes into AI systems, versus unvetted approaches.”

Get the rest from Wolters Kluwer here.