Patients are increasingly favouring a model where doctors are supported by artificial intelligence rather than being replaced by it, according to a study by Boston Consulting Group.
“Patients don’t see AI and human clinicians as an either/or choice; most prefer to engage with a human augmented by AI rather than a human alone” for tasks such as explaining test results and monitoring chronic conditions, said the report titled Consumers Are Ready for AI-Enabled Health Care. Health Systems Need to Be, Too.
The findings are based on a survey of more than 13,000 consumers across 15 countries, and show that “nearly 60% of people globally already use AI for health tasks,” said the report.
Current usage remains concentrated in relatively basic applications, with use largely in “chatbots (33%) and wearables (19%),” it said. At the same time, consumer expectations are evolving. There is a shift “from chatbots to agentic AI,” with users expecting tools that can “book appointments, manage referrals, and flag drug interactions,” said the report.
However, the expansion of AI-led care continues to face resistance on trust. “Trust is the primary barrier,” the report said, noting that “62% of consumers remain concerned about data privacy” and “59% worry about the reliability of AI-provided advice.”
The study also finds that adoption is higher among younger consumers, with “78% of Gen Z and 71% of Millennials already using AI for health-related tasks,” it said.
In emerging markets such as India, AI is being used as an “access extender,” with consumers more open to “AI-in-the-loop across various clinical and administrative tasks,” the report said.
For health systems, the report outlines the need to respond to these shifts, including building “data front doors where patients can securely share information from wearables” and moving from a guarded stance to “agile experimentation,” it added.
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