Healthcare executives today believe AI will deliver value for the industry faster than previously thought, according to a new survey of senior healthcare executives representing leading hospitals, health plans, life sciences organizations and employers. The third annual Optum Survey on AI in Health Care found that 59% of respondents expect their organizations to see a full return on their AI investments in under three years. That's up 90% since 2018, when only 31% of respondents expected to break even that quickly. The overall anticipated time frame to achieve ROI was 3.6 years in this year's survey, down from 5.3 years in 2018 and 4.7 years in 2019. Confidence in recognizing cost savings from AI appeared to increase as organizations progressed on the maturity curve. Among those who identified themselves as being in the late stages of AI deployment, 57% indicated they'd achieve their ROI in less than two years, as compared to respondents in the early (33%) and mid (26%) stages.