Use of AI by clinical doctors in the UK in 2024, by specialty

Artificial intelligence is making significant inroads in various medical specialties across the United Kingdom. As of 2024, radiology leads the pack with ** percent of practitioners utilizing some form of AI in their work. However, the adoption of generative AI specifically shows a different pattern, with medicine and surgery at the forefront, each reporting ** percent usage among their practitioners.

Varied adoption across specialties

Interestingly, universities demonstrate the highest use of generative AI at ** percent and the greatest awareness of AI usage at ** percent within their profession. This elevated adoption in academia could be attributed to the broader range of AI applications in educational settings compared to clinical environments. 

Confidence in AI readiness

Despite the growing adoption of AI in healthcare, there appears to be a measured approach to its implementation. Only ** percent of doctors believe AI will be implemented prematurely, with ** percent disagreeing with this notion. Notably, AI users show slightly more caution, with ** percent considering AI premature compared to ** percent of non-users. This suggests a general confidence in the readiness of AI technologies currently being deployed in medical settings. The healthcare sector seems poised to benefit from AI, particularly in administrative tasks, with the National Health Service expecting an ** percent reduction in time spent on such duties.