The UK public are not ready to swap NHS doctors for AI models, with a new survey highlighting ongoing unease over AI’s place in healthcare.

A report from the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR), The Future of AI in Healthcare: Public perceptions of AI in Radiology, found that despite the public recognising the benefits AI could bring to the NHS, like helping doctors, saving time and bringing down waiting lists, just 40% feel comfortable with the idea of healthcare AI.

The RCR’s poll of more than 1,000 UK adults shows that familiarity breeds acceptance, with that figure rising to 76% among those who are very aware of AI, highlighting the need for greater engagement between the public and AI policymakers.

Better communication around the use of medical AI will be central to unlocking its value, with the RCR data showing that less than half (46%) of the public have heard of AI being used in healthcare, despite myriad studies and pilot schemes across the country now using the technology in health settings.

The research did find, however, that the public is highly trusting of doctors and the NHS, especially with the use of their personal health data in training AI, especially compared to when managed by abstract entities such as ‘government’ or ‘health technology companies’.

The RCR said that the findings show the public trust doctors and value their expert oversight when it comes to AI, and that they want doctors to ensure AI will not make the wrong diagnoses, or reduce human interaction in healthcare.

When it comes to radiology specifically, only 5% thought AI should work independently, without radiologists’ oversight.

In a joint statement published by the RCR, clinical AI experts and policy leaders say that the report ‘reveals overwhelming support for doctors to lead and shape how AI is used’, and that the techs rollout must be led by clinicians, with patients made more aware of the positive case for AI in the NHS.

“We need a national conversation on the use of AI in healthcare so that we bring people with us and reap the benefits for patient care,” said Dr Katharine Halliday, president of the Royal College of Radiologists.

“Successfully harnessing AI will be crucial to tackle pressures on the health service – freeing up doctors and other healthcare staff to spend more time with patients. 

“Our research shows that people trust doctors and want them to oversee the use of AI in healthcare. In fact, AI tools are already used in over 60% of cancer centres and 70% of radiology departments, and the public feel confident about AI being used in this way.  

“People trust doctors and want them to oversee the use of AI in healthcare.”

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To deliver on the promise of AI in healthcare, the RCR want the UK Government to commit to long-term funding to support the implementation of the technology in the NHS, as well as an expansion of specialist IT workforces at both a local and national level to deliver AI deployment.

For their part, doctors are already keen on integrating more AI into their work. Research from the Alan Turing Institute in October found that nearly a third (29%) of UK doctors have already used some form of AI in their practice, with 54% believing that the opportunities presented by AI for the profession are not yet being fully explored. 

That said, while many doctors were confident of AI’s potential, the survey found that a third (32%) felt they didn’t understand the risks presented by the use of AI, while 70% said they hadn’t received adequate training to understand their responsibilities when using these systems.