New research suggests that physicians perceive doctors as being less competent, reliable and empathetic when using artificial intelligence (AI) in practice, whether for management, diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. These findings have been published in Jama Network Open.
The researchers asked 1,276 study participants about their perceptions of AI physician use. Participants were asked to evaluate their family physicians featured in four fictional advertisements, including:
- Control ads that do not contain references to AI
- Advertisement that indicates doctors use AI for administrative purposes
- Advertisement that indicates doctors use AI for diagnostic purposes
- Advertisement that indicates that doctors use AI for medical purposes.
Aside from mentioning AI (or lack thereof), the ads were the same. Using a 5-point scale, participants rated the physician's perceptual ability, reliability, and empathy. Participants also evaluated their willingness to appoint a physician.
As shown in the table below, physicians ratings for advertising claiming to use AI were consistently low.
| Physician Participant Assessment Using AI | ||||
| Advertising type | Physician Ability Assessment | Reliability assessment of doctors | The doctor's sympathy evaluation | Ratings for your booking |
| control | 3.85 (95% CI, 3.75-3.94) | 3.88 (95% CI, 3.79-3.96) | 4.00 (95% CI, 3.92-4.09) | 3.61 (95% CI, 3.50-3.73) |
| Using Management AI | 3.71 (95% CI, 3.61-3.80) | 3.66 (95% CI, 3.57-3.75) | 3.80 (95% CI, 3.71-3.88) | 3.32 (95% CI, 3.21-3.44) |
| Using Diagnostic AI | 3.66 (95% CI, 3.56-3.76) | 3.62 (95% CI, 3.52-3.72) | 3.82 (95% CI, 3.73-3.92) | 3.16 (95% CI, 3.03-3.30) |
| Therapeutic AI Use | 3.58 (95% CI, 3.48-3.68) | 3.61 (95% CI, 3.50-3.71) | 3.72 (95% CI, 3.62-3.82) | 3.15 (95% CI, 3.01-3.29) |
“In line with previous research, our results show that the public has certain reservations regarding AI integration in healthcare,” the researchers write. “Future research should extend these findings to a more realistic setting and explore potential mitigation factors, such as patient experiences with AI and common digital tools.”
Disclosure: This study was supported by the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Werzburg. One study author revealed a conflict of interest. See the original reference for full disclosure information.
This article was originally published on Cancer Therapy Advisor
References:
Reis M, Reis F, Kunde W. Public perception of physicians using artificial intelligence. Jama Netw Open. Released online on July 17th, 2025. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.21643
