The encouraging increase of AI in UK healthcare

The study, conducted by YouGov, included the input of some 1,000 business leaders and 4,000 employees. The study found that regarding the use of AI in UK healthcare industry, 46% of healthcare leaders reported their organisation used the technology in some capacity, which essentially reflected an 8% increase compared to 2018. The biggest growth areas reported were research-level AI, which grew 13% in the past 12 months, and robot process automation (RPA) and general automation both increased by 10%, while the use of voice recognition technology increased by 9%. Darren Atkins, chief technology officer at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: "AI in healthcare is an extremely exciting prospect. It's not about replacing staff, but allowing them to maximise their skills, be more efficient, spend more time with patients and, ultimately, get better outcomes." While the adoption of AI in healthcare was below that of the national cross-industry average of 56%, Microsoft explained how the findings demonstrated "recognition of AI's transformative potential for healthcare organisations is becoming increasingly widespread – not just when it comes to central or so-called'back office' processes but by genuinely enhancing the quality of patient care".