What respondents recruited through European patient organisation networks think about AI in healthcare: reflections from an exploratory survey

Background The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare is rapidly increasing. Patients represent an important group of stakeholders whose perspectives on AI implementation are essential to explore. Objective This exploratory survey aims to investigate patient perspectives across different European countries on various aspects related to the use of AI in healthcare. Methods An online survey was disseminated through the European Patients’ Forum (EPF) member organisations from April until August 2025. Results A total of 874 respondents completed the survey. Almost all respondents report that there are benefits (93.48%) as well as concerns (97.71%) to the use of AI in healthcare. The top three indicated benefits included: support healthcare professionals (HCPs) in delivering more personalised care (64.65%), faster/more accurate diagnosis (62.59%), and support patients’ self-management and treatment adherence (61.78%). For concerns the top three comprised: lack of human empathy and personal touch (69.79%), biased AI-driven decisions (68.08%), and AI making incorrect diagnoses (59.27%). Most respondents indicated that, to their knowledge, they had not yet experienced AI use in their own healthcare (61.44%). Their information preferences show that respondents want to be informed about AI being used in their care: mostly at the very beginning (93.36%), through their HCP (81.69%), and with patient-friendly information (67.73%). Conclusions The findings suggest that respondents recognise the possible benefits AI could bring to healthcare, while also expressing concerns about its integration into clinical practice, possibly resulting in conditional acceptance. This highlights the importance of involving patients throughout the implementation process trying to promote trust and facilitate acceptance of AI in healthcare.