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AI and Healthcare: Are We Ready for the Change?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a bigger part of healthcare, but are patients and healthcare providers equally prepared for these changes? This new report takes a closer look at how AI is changing the way we get health information, make healthcare decisions, and receive care. It also highlights concerns about making sure Black communities have equal access to these new tools and the benefits they can offer.

The report brings together findings from the ACE Your Health initiative, a groundbreaking partnership between the NAACP and Sanofi, along with national research and feedback from nearly 23,000 people across 47 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Most importantly, it gives a closer look at what communities are experiencing, what questions people have about AI in healthcare, and what needs to happen to ensure everyone can benefit from these advancements.

Several key findings from the report include:

• Artificial intelligence is already becoming a routine part of healthcare decision-making. Americans ask Microsoft Copilot and Bing approximately 50 million health-related questions each day, while 81% of physicians report already using AI in their work.
• Many people are turning to AI because traditional healthcare can be difficult to access. Nineteen percent of people using AI for health information report they could not afford to see a provider. Black adults are significantly more likely than White adults to use AI for mental health advice.
• Healthcare access gaps remain severe in many Black communities. One in three Americans lives in a healthcare desert, and in the Mississippi Delta, all 154,000 Black residents live more than 25 miles from a hospital rated four or five stars.