The 11th edition of the U.S. Philips Future Health Index (FHI) report foresees AI moving from tool to teammate within the healthcare team.
In the meantime, AI adoption is becoming nearly universal among healthcare providers, according to Philips. The company's survey of 2,000 healthcare professionals in 10 countries revealed that 74% of clinicians increased their use of AI-enabled tools provided by their organization over the past year.
Unlike past reports that highlighted AI's potential, this year's report focuses how healthcare professionals and patients around the world are actively using AI, with the tangible impacts becoming more evident, the company noted.
The FHI provided the following data in its June 9 report:
- 49% of clinicians reported at least 132 hours per year on average saved because of AI.
- 27% of healthcare professionals said AI helped them identify or prevent a potential medical error at least three times in the past three months.
- 36% of U.S. healthcare professionals say AI has increased their capacity to see more patients, a median increase of five patients per week.
- 60% of clinicians are not concerned they will lose their job because of AI-enabled tools -- 74% predict certain roles will disappear, but they also believe new roles will emerge.
- 96% of clinicians expect AI to change how they work, with 53% anticipating a significant shift in their role.
- 74% of clinicians said patients are arriving at consultations with AI-generated health information.
Some 68% of clinicians responding see AI agents becoming part of their team for data processing and administrative work, with 65% also seeing AI supporting aspects of clinical reasoning and decision-making.
Survey data specific to AI process automation and workflow support showed that 52% of healthcare professionals use AI to transcribe clinical notes, while 46% said AI acts as a "buddy" to discuss work-related ideas. Another 20% said AI assists with scheduling patient appointments and 9% reported that AI speeds up x-rays or scans. For 24% of clinicians, AI helps analyze x-rays or scans, while 18% use it to triage patients based on the severity of their condition.
However, less than 10% of clinicians are comfortable with AI acting independently in most clinical decisions, meaning that more than 90% said it is essential to keep a human in the loop as AI advances.
Also, "emerging from this year’s report is the advent of a new 'hybrid care team,' where AI supports clinicians and patients while human judgment remains central to care," Philips noted in an announcement.
Readiness challenges persist as a result of limited or inconsistent AI training in organizations, according to the report. The FHI underscored the need for stronger infrastructure, workforce readiness, and governance as AI adoption accelerates.
"As AI becomes more embedded in care, how healthcare systems and technology partners integrate and govern AI will determine whether it strengthens trust -- or erodes it," noted the authors. "That places a clear responsibility on technology partners to move beyond isolated solutions and design AI into clinical workflows in ways that are trusted, interoperable and scalable."
Philips conducted the surveys from February 2026 to April 2026 throughout 10 countries (Brazil, mainland China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, the U.K., and the U.S.)
The full FHI can be found here.
