Americans wary of AI in healthcare for diagnoses and insurance claims, survey finds

November 5, 2026 / 11:07 AM EST / CBS News

How much artificial intelligence is too much when you visit your doctor? Although patients are generally open to healthcare professionals using AI to handle administrative and some medical tasks, they want humans wielding the stethoscope, a recent survey suggests.

A solid majority of Americans are comfortable with AI translating patient notes or scheduling appointments, either on its own or with some human oversight, according to the Pew Research Center, which polled more than 3,400 U.S. adults in June. More than half the respondents were also open to using AI to analyze medical scans and lab test results, provided a healthcare professional supervised the process.

But people draw the line when it comes to AI driving diagnoses or making insurance decisions, Pew found. Almost half of those surveyed said they don't want an AI model deciding whether to accept or reject an insurance claim, while 41% said they don't want AI making a diagnosis on its own.

Galen Stocking, associate director of science and society research at Pew Research Center, said people see value in applying AI to healthcare. Still, patients want to know when and how healthcare providers and administrative…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/moneywatch/