Physician excitement for AUI dampened by privacy concerns, survey finds

Doctors are excited—yet cautious—about the role augmented intelligence (AUI) could play in the future of healthcare.

That’s the takeaway from an American Medical Association (AMA) survey released last month.

About two-thirds (65%) of 1,000+ physicians that the AMA surveyed in August 2023 agreed that there was at least some advantage to using AUI-powered tools, particularly when it comes to diagnostic ability (72%), work efficiency (69%), and clinical outcomes (61%). More than half (56%) of doctors said AUI tools could best help address administrative burdens.

But 11% of respondents said they saw “some” or “definite” disadvantages to using AUI-powered tools. In particular, doctors expressed concerns about the technology’s potential effects on patient privacy (41%) and the patient-physician relationship (39%).

AMA President Jesse Ehrenfeld said the survey “illustrates that physicians’ greatest hope for [AUI] rests in reducing the crushing administrative burdens that plague modern medicine, which drain healthcare resources and pull physicians away from patient care.”

“Physicians are optimistic about the advantages that properly designed [AUI]-enabled tools can have for patient care,” he said in a December 2023 statement.

The survey found that physicians were more split on their enthusiasm for AUI use in healthcare. About four in 10 (41%) doctors said they felt equally concerned and excited about AUI use in healthcare, while 30% said they’re more excited than concerned and 29% said they’re more concerned than excited.

Just 38% of physicians surveyed said they were already using AUI-powered tools to help write discharge instructions, care plans, or progress notes; document billing codes, medical charts, or visit notes; translate materials; and assist with diagnoses.

In addition to the survey’s findings, the AMA in November 2023 released a new set of principles for AUI development, deployment, and use. Ehrenfeld said at the time that the principles “will guide the organization’s engagement with the [Biden] administration, Congress, and industry stakeholders in discussions on the future of governance policies to regulate the development, deployment and use of healthcare [AUI].”