WEF: AI Has the Potential to Make Healthcare More Human

With the global AI healthcare market on track to reach US$491bn by 2032, the World Economic Forum (WEF) warns against repeating mistakes made during previous waves of digital transformation.

It cites the rollout of electronic health records (EHRs), which promised better coordination and improved clinical decision-making, but initially contributed to growing administrative workloads, often forcing doctors to spend more time documenting care than delivering it.

Instead of taking centre stage in the clinician-patient relationship, WEF argues AI must operate in the background, removing friction from healthcare delivery while allowing clinicians to spend more time building trust with patients.

The lesson, WEF argues, is not that digital technologies fail, but that innovation without a clear human-centred purpose can create unintended consequences.

Creating trust between patient and clinician

WEF has long recognised trust as a critical factor in the successful adoption of AI in healthcare. 

“Mistrust is the most formidable barrier to adopting generative AI in healthcare,” Shyam Bishen, Head of the Centre for Health and Healthcare at WEF, wrote in a 2024 article. 

“We must prioritise fine-tuning models on healthcare-specific data and having doctors test and rate responses to improve outputs and instil models with empathy. 

“Healthcare providers must implement clinical processes that maintain human oversight, especially in high-risk discussions and with patients with severe disease.”

According to WEF, healthcare organisations risk prioritising measurable efficiencies over less tangible outcomes such as trust, continuity of care and meaningful relationships if implementation strategies focus solely on productivity gains.

Healthcare’s vast data bank

Research referenced by WEF shows that healthcare already accounts for almost a third of the world's data generation, with the volume increasing by around 63% annually. 

WEF believes AI can improve continuity of care by bringing together and surfacing the vast amounts of healthcare data generated every day. 

Instead of requiring patients to repeatedly explain their medical histories at each appointment, AI can provide clinicians with concise summaries of previous appointments, treatments and conversations before each interaction begins.

NHS England is already exploring this approach to streamlining frontline care through the rollout of AI-powered ambient voice technology (AVT). 

Early findings from nationwide studies suggest the technology increases direct patient interaction time during appointments by 23.5%, demonstrating AI's potential to strengthen the human side of healthcare. 

The NHS's approach could offer a roadmap for other healthcare providers, demonstrating the value of measuring AI not only by efficiency gains but also by its impact on patient-clinician interaction.

Responsible implementation

For healthcare leaders currently evaluating AI investments, WEF concludes that implementation should be guided by patient experience rather than deployment speed.

Echoing this sentiment, Margaret Mary-Wilson, Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice-President at UnitedHealth Group, writes on LinkedIn, “Artificial intelligence has the potential to meaningfully improve how we deliver healthcare – but the technology itself isn’t the goal.

“The real opportunity is helping clinicians and care teams spend less time on administrative work and more time doing what only they can do: caring for patients. That means embracing innovation thoughtfully, with a steadfast focus on quality, safety and the people we serve.” 

Ultimately, the success of healthcare AI will depend less on how much work it can automate and more on whether patients feel better understood, more supported and more connected to those providing their care.