Only one-fifth of consumers would trust healthcare advice from AI-generated communications, according to a recent poll. The findings reflect consumer feelings at a time when AI solutions continue to emerge across the healthcare industry and an influx of investor cash funds new developments.
The poll, commissioned by Invoca and conducted by The Harris Poll, queried 2,000 U.S. adults online. It looked at the experience of consumers when interacting with brands across industries through AI-generated communications.
When companies had no option for human interaction and only relied on automated communications, more than half of consumers––52%––said they felt frustrated. About 1 in 5 also said they felt angry, and only 16% said they enjoyed the experience with a brand using exclusively automated communications.
When it comes to trust, not all consumers are ready to hear healthcare advice through AI-generate communications. Just 20% of survey respondents said they would trust healthcare advice coming from AI. That’s compared to 38% who would trust AI-generated advice for hospitality and 19% for financial services.
The lack of trust among consumers in healthcare and financial services makes sense, the poll states, as these areas have much higher stakes compared to retail, for example.
However, younger consumers between 18 and 34 are much more likely to trust advice coming from AI. For healthcare, 22% of consumers in this age group trust AI-generate advice, compared to 10% of people 65 and older. Older adults are much more likely to trust AI-generated advice for activities with lower stakes, such as hospitality questions and recommendations––32% of those 65 and older said they’d trust this advice.
While AI has been heralded as an innovation to supplement the work of humans in healthcare, the technology cannot supplant the value of human connection, particularly when it comes to problem solving. About one-third of consumers prefer to complete a transaction in healthcare over the phone, compared to 30% who prefer in-person, 25% who prefer online and just 6% through a mobile app. Only 5% prefer to complete a healthcare transaction through AI, like a chatbot.
“While AI has been a real game changer for the ‘back office’ of business—think martech tools and the ways to run businesses more efficiently—this study suggests that it still lags on the front end of business—the consumer interactions,” Julie Stead, vice president of marketing at Invoca, said in a statement. “As a likely result, many consumers strongly prefer human interaction to complete certain types of transactions.”
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."