News: Patients engage with providers’ AI agents but still emphasize human oversight, survey finds

Patients are open to using artificial intelligence (AI) agents to help with tasks such as scheduling and billing, however they prefer AI tools that live inside their doctor’s secure portal, a new Salesforce survey found.

Patients are three times more likely to trust an AI agent when it’s embedded in a clinical system rather than offered as a public chatbot. This serves as an indication that institutional accountability and provider context are central to acceptance of healthcare AI, according to the survey.

In early 2024, only 2% of adults turned to AI for healthcare information, according to a previous Salesforce survey. Today, 61% of global patients report that they are comfortable with using agentic AI in healthcare contexts, and 64% would share their full medical history with AI to receive a faster diagnosis.

This mirrors a trend on the provider side, with a separate survey finding that 71% of United States healthcare workers predict agentic AI will be essential to healthcare operations within five years.

In addition, 46% of patients delay care because the digital process is too confusing, and 58% report skipping necessary care because scheduling is too difficult. Nearly one half (49%) hang up after 10 minutes on hold with a doctor’s office to seek care elsewhere or avoid it altogether.

While advancements in agentic AI open up opportunities for providers, including extending support beyond traditional business hours, reducing administrative friction, and improving access, patients still view governance and provider trust as non-negotiable prerequisites—and do not want AI acting alone.

For example, 89% of patients say a clear “escalate to human” option is essential for trusting AI administrative support, and 90% expect the same for AI medical support. Additionally, 91% say patients should have the right to opt out of AI-driven clinical recommendations entirely.

Patients’ top concerns about AI in healthcare are accuracy and data privacy, with 36% citing the accuracy of diagnosis or treatment as their primary worry, while 30% point to the privacy and security of their health data.

“Patients don’t want AI to replace their doctors. They want it to safely replace the waiting, and the friction. When technology is built on trust, healthcare can finally move as fast as we do," said Sophia Saleem, M.D., Chief Health Officer, HLS Go To Market, at Salesforce.

Editor’s note: To view the full survey report, click here. To read additional coverage from Fierce Healthcare, click here.