Data privacy, AI safety assurances key to physician adoption of AI

While a majority of U.S. physicians are using AI in their practice, physicians are only cautiously optimistic about their use, citing concerns around patient privacy and skill loss, according to a new survey by the American Medical Association, or AMA.

The AMA polled 2,051 U.S. physicians for the 2026 Physician Survey on Augmented Intelligence. The association has conducted the survey annually since 2023. 

The survey revealed that the proportion of physicians using AI increased to 72% in 2026, up from 48% in 2024 and 38% in 2023. The average number of AI use cases per physician also increased from 1.1 in 2023 to 2.3 in 2026.

Summarizing medical research and standards of care is the most popular AI use case, with 39% of respondents reporting that they use AI for this purpose. Other popular use cases include creation of discharge instructions, care plans and/or progress notes (30%), documentation of billing codes, medical charts or visit notes (28%) and generation of chart summaries (28%).

Physicians cited numerous benefits of AI use, including enhanced work efficiency and diagnostic accuracy, as well as reduced cognitive overload. In fact, 73% of physicians believe that AI can help reduce administrative workload through automation, and 70% report that AI will help offload or replace some clinical tasks, relieving drivers of burnout.

However, despite the overall increase in utilization, physicians remain cautious about AI use. Only 37% of physicians reported being more excited than concerned about the increased use of AI in their professional lives, a marginal increase from 35% in 2024.

Patient privacy remains a top concern among physicians regarding AI use, with 41% reporting that AI use will harm patient privacy. Meanwhile, physicians are split on whether AI use will harm or help the physician-patient relationship, with 34% reporting the former and 38% the latter. Additionally, 88% of respondents said they are concerned about skill loss, with 70% of current medical students and residents concerned about it.

Data privacy assurances from their employer and EHR vendor (70%) and validation of AI safety and efficacy by a trusted entity, along with continuous monitoring (66%), were the top two factors cited for facilitating physician adoption of AI tools.  

Additionally, physicians want a clear liability framework, post-market surveillance of AI tools, including adverse event reporting and technology audits, and more oversight of AI-enabled medical devices by governing bodies, such as the FDA, the survey showed.

Physicians also reported that education and training on AI tools have not been extensive. A vast majority of respondents (92%) expressed interest in receiving more training. They want to receive this training as part of their EHR training (49%), as they are doing their job (46%), through an online continuing education course 40%) or in a live sandbox environment (39%).

Further, physicians want a voice in their organization's AI decisions. More than half (55%) want to be consulted on these decisions, and 30% want responsibility for implementation.

"AI has quickly become part of everyday medical practice. Physicians see real promise in its ability to support clinical decisions and cut down on administrative burden. But as this technology advances, it is critical that augmented intelligence be designed to enhance -- not replace – physicians," said AMA CEO John Whyte, M.D., in the press release. "For doctors to trust and use these tools, they must be safe, effective, and used responsibly so they truly improve patient care."

Anuja Vaidya has covered the healthcare industry since 2012. She currently covers the virtual healthcare landscape, including telehealth, remote patient monitoring and digital therapeutics.