Two out of three doctors say they’re using AI

The number of doctors using artificial intelligence has nearly doubled in the past two years, according to a new survey released Wednesday by the American Medical Association.

The number of doctors using AI tools has nearly doubled in the last two years, according to a new survey by the American Medical Association. Two out of three doctors say they're using AI tools in some way.

Two out of three doctors (66%) say they are using AI in their practice, up from 38% in 2023, the AMA survey found. Some of the top increased uses of AI tools include documentation of patient visits, developing discharge instructions, translation services, and summaries of medical research.

The AMA, which prefers the term “augmented intelligence,” surveyed doctors from August 2023 to November 2024. The survey comes after a similar report two years ago

Doctors are demonstrating more interest and engagement with AI. Most are optimistic about the prospects of AI streamlining their workload.

Even as the survey finds increased enthusiasm, doctors still say they have concerns with AI. The AMA survey finds a mix of excitement and anxiety about AI, and doctors were asked if their enthusiasm outweighs their concerns.

• Read more: AI in healthcare: What to expect in 2025

The survey found 35% of doctors said their enthusiasm for AI outweighs their concerns, up from 30% in 2023. But a substantial number (40%) said they have an equal mix of concern and excitement for AI, down slightly from 2023 (41%). One in four doctors (25%) said their concerns surpass their enthusiasm, compared to 29% in 2023.

More than two-thirds of doctors (68%) say they see at least some advantage to using AI tools, up from 65% in 2023, the survey found.

Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, MD, the former AMA president, said the survey offers a snapshot of physicians’ perspectives on AI, even if at times they are a bit contradictory.

“Physicians are increasingly intrigued by the assistive role of health AI and the potential of AI-enable tools to reduce administrative burdens, enhance diagnostic accuracy, and personalize treatments,” Ehrenfeld said in a statement.

“But there remain unresolved physician concerns with the design of health AI and the potential of flawed AI-enabled tools to put privacy at risk, integrate poorly with EHR systems, offer incorrect conclusions or recommendations, and introduce new liability concerns,” he added.

• Read more: How Mercy is using AI to improve patient care

Nearly half (47%) of the doctors surveyed said they see a need for increased federal oversight of AI-enabled medical devices, including from the Food & Drug Administration.

About one in five (18%) said there should be more regulations regarding insurers’ use of AI in decisions on covering treatment.

Three out of four doctors (75%) said they think AI could increase their work efficiency, up from 69% in 2023. Nearly three-quarters (72%) said that AI tools could improve their diagnostic accuracy, which was unchanged from two years ago. Doctors are increasingly seeing the value of AI tools to aid with documentation, with 80% of physicians saying AI is useful in charting and billing.

A solid, albeit smaller majority (62%), said they thought AI tools could improve clinical outcomes, which was up slightly from 2023 (61%).

More hospitals are also using AI tools, a recent study from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health found.

About two-thirds of American hospitals (65%) were using AI-powered predictive models, according to findings published by Health Affairs in January. Hospitals are using the tools to project the health trajectories of patients and identify patients with higher risks of complications.

But that study also found some room for concern. Researchers found 61% of hospitals were examining their predictive models for accuracy, while 44% were examining those models for bias. Some researchers continue to be worried about AI tools reflecting racial bias, which also can reduce their accuracy.

Dan Shoenthal, chief innovation officer of the MD Anderson Cancer Center, told Chief Healthcare Executive® that he’s very enthusiastic about the potential of AI-powered technology to improve patient care. But he stressed that those tools should be developed thoughtfully, and that health systems must examine their accuracy.

“We want to make sure that we have a strong framework for governance and management of that AI,” Shoenthal said.

“To me, the most important piece is the governance and model management, that innovation framework that we're establishing so that we can realize the impact of AI,” he added. “It can't be forgotten in this process.”