What will it take to win consumer buy-in on GenAI for healthcare?

Americans aren’t OK with generative healthcare AI that was developed without physicians and is sold by vendors without track records. Oh, and their own doctors had better be upfront about using the technology—even if it’s tried and true.  

So reports Wolters Kluwer Health, which bases the conclusions on responses from a representative sampling of 1,000 U.S. adults who were surveyed about six weeks ago.

Here are five other key findings from the executive summary of the survey report.

1. Feelings about GenAI for healthcare are all over the emotional map.

• 45% of Americans say their initial feeling toward GenAI is curiosity.
• 44% report concern as their first reaction toward the technology.
• 17% say they feel scared about the use of GenAI in healthcare.

2. Among those who initially feel concerned, the hesitancy tends to come from uncertainty over where GenAI may be getting its information.

• 86% of Americans see a problem in not knowing the source of GenAI training data and/or its methods of testing and validation.
• 82% are uneasy over the possibility that GenAI training and testing data came from raw internet searches.

3. Confidence levels are split down the middle.

• Just over half the U.S. population (52%) would feel secure in the results if they knew their own provider was using GenAI to assist in their care. A little under half (48%), not so much.

4. Want a hand in changing perceptions? Prioritize transparency and education.

• 80% of Americans want to know whether or not their personal provider will rely on GenAI for an upcoming exam or diagnosis.
• If so, 63% will be rattled even if the GenAI product came from an established source, was developed by medical professionals and is constantly updated.

5. Doctor-patient relationships will continue to matter, regardless of GenAI’s adoption in healthcare.

• 63% of Americans would change providers upon learning their current provider was using GenAI.
• Gen X and Baby Boomers would be less likely than Gen Z and Millennials to move to another provider not using GenAI (58% and 55% vs. 71% and 69%).
• The generational gap is likely due to stronger doctor-patient relationships among older Americans, as nearly half of adults under 30 don’t have a primary care provider.

In a news release, Wolters Kluwer Health executive Greg Samios comments that it will take “responsible testing as well as understanding the importance of using the most current, highly vetted content developed by real medical experts to build acceptance of this new technology in clinical settings.”