Public Unease Over AI in Healthcare
The UK public is not ready to replace NHS doctors with AI models, according to a new survey highlighting ongoing unease over AI’s role in healthcare. The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) report, ‘The Future of AI in Healthcare: Public perceptions of AI in Radiology,’ found that despite recognizing AI’s potential benefits to the NHS, such as assisting doctors and reducing waiting lists, only 40% of respondents feel comfortable with healthcare AI.
The RCR’s poll of over 1,000 UK adults shows that familiarity breeds acceptance, with comfort levels rising to 76% among those very aware of AI. This highlights the need for greater public engagement with AI policymakers. Better communication around medical AI will be crucial to unlocking its value, as less than half (46%) of the public have heard of AI being used in healthcare.
The research found that the public trusts doctors and the NHS, especially when it comes to using personal health data to train AI. However, trust wavers when abstract entities like ‘government’ or ‘health technology companies’ are involved. The RCR noted that the findings show the public wants doctors to oversee AI use to prevent wrong diagnoses and maintain human interaction in healthcare.
In radiology specifically, only 5% thought AI should work independently without radiologists’ oversight. Clinical AI experts and policy leaders agree that the report ‘reveals overwhelming support for doctors to lead and shape how AI is used.’ They emphasize that AI rollout must be led by clinicians, with patients made more aware of AI’s positive case in the NHS.
To deliver on AI’s promise in healthcare, the RCR wants the UK Government to commit to long-term funding to support AI implementation in the NHS and expand specialist IT workforces. Research from the Alan Turing Institute found that nearly a third (29%) of UK doctors have already used AI, with 54% believing AI’s opportunities are not being fully explored. However, many doctors feel they lack understanding of AI’s risks and adequate training.
Dr. Katharine Halliday, president of the Royal College of Radiologists, stressed the need for a national conversation on AI in healthcare to ‘bring people with us and reap the benefits for patient care.’ She noted that people trust doctors to oversee AI use and that AI tools are already used in over 60% of cancer centers and 70% of radiology departments.
