Artificial intelligence in European healthcare: risk perceptions and regulatory challenges

This article investigates how European citizens perceive the integration ofartificial intelligence (AI) into healthcare systems, focusing in particular onthe interplay between perceived benefits and regulatory expectations. Drawingon data from the Special Eurobarometer 551 survey conducted in March 2024across the 27 EU Member States (N > 26,000), the study explores national andsociodemographic variations in how AI is evaluated in terms of healthcarerelevance, public regulation, and digital rights implementation. The findingsreveal widespread support for AI in improving diagnostic accuracy and opera-tional efficiency, particularly among younger, urban, and digitally connectedpopulations. However, these optimistic views coexist with significant concernover data privacy, the depersonalisation of care, and the opacity of algorithmicdecision-making. Citizens in countries with more robust digital infrastructurestend to exhibit both higher confidence in AI and stronger demands for regula-tory safeguards. Conversely, in less digitally developed contexts, public trustand expectations remain lower. Framed within the sociology of risk and socio-technical imaginaries, this study demonstrates that perceptions of AI are notmerely technical assessments but are deeply embedded in social inequalities,(dis)trust in institutions, and cultural narratives of progress and control. Theresearch calls for inclusive, context-sensitive governance frameworks thataddress digital divides and reinforce public ccountability. In doing so, itcontributes to broader debates on how emerging technologies transform notonly clinical practices but also public expectations, ethical standards, and thegovernance of health-related risk.