Most Americans want providers to disclose AI use, report says

Dive Brief:

• A growing number of Americans say they want doctors to disclose artificial intelligence if they use it, according to a survey published this week by Pew Research Center.
• Nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults said it is extremely or very important that doctors and other providers tell them when artificial intelligence is being used in their healthcare, and another 4 in 5 said patients should be informed when AI is used to analyze medical scans, make diagnoses or explain laboratory results, according to the survey. 
• However, 53% of adults said they have little or no say over whether a provider uses AI in their care, and nearly half of respondents weren’t sure whether the technology had already been used in their healthcare.

Dive Insight:

The findings highlight a gap between how quickly AI is entering healthcare and how little patients know about — or control — its use.

Demand for transparency into AI use was widespread among the 3,488 adults that Pew surveyed from June 22 to June 28. Majorities across age, gender, education and racial and ethnic groups said it was extremely or very important for providers to disclose their use of AI. Adults aged 65 and older were somewhat more likely to prioritize disclosure than people under 30.

But patients also expect transparency around lower-stakes applications. In addition to the 72% who want to know when AI takes notes during an appointment, 64% said providers should disclose when the technology orders prescription refills and 56% want disclosure when it schedules appointments, according to Pew.

Many respondents also reported a lack of input into the technology’s use. Just 17% said they have a great deal or quite a bit of control over whether providers use AI in their health care. 

Meanwhile, 46% of adults said they aren’t sure whether a provider has used AI in their health care. Even among adults who reported encountering AI, only 22% said they understood extremely or very well how the technology was used.

AI tools are already common in provider workflows. Seventy-one percent of non-federal acute care hospitals reported using predictive AI in 2024, up from 66% the year before, according to the Office of the National Coordinator. The fastest-growing applications included billing and scheduling.

Physician adoption has also accelerated. Seventy-two percent of respondents to an American Medical Association survey conducted early this year said they incorporated at least one use of AI into their practice, nearly twice the share reported in 2023. Documentation and summarization tools were among the most common applications.

The new findings echo concerns Pew identified before the recent surge in adoption. In 2023, 60% of Americans said they would be uncomfortable if their provider relied on AI to diagnose conditions or recommend treatments, while three-quarters were more concerned that providers would implement the technology too quickly than too slowly.