A new report titled Clinician of the Future 2025, published this year by Elsevier, shows that while clinicians worldwide are rapidly adopting AI tools, significant gaps in trust, governance, and institutional readiness mean the benefits are uneven.
India’s Rapid Adoption and Global Trends
According to the report, 41% of clinicians in India say they are using AI tools for work in 2025, up sharply from 12% in 2024. Globally, 48% of clinicians report using AI. This suggests that India’s adoption is rising quickly, though still slightly behind the global average.
Indian clinicians also reported heavy workloads and notable workforce concerns. Many considering job changes said they plan to leave healthcare altogether. At the same time, a large share expect to see stronger emphasis on universal healthcare and greater use of technology, including a growing role for AI-based self-diagnosis.
Global Patterns of AI Use and Emerging Concerns
Worldwide, AI use has expanded rapidly in just one year – 48% of clinicians now use AI for work, compared with 26% in 2024. However, use is uneven: nearly all AI users (97%) rely on general-purpose tools, while clinical-specific applications are less common. Current uses include identifying drug interactions, analyzing medical images, and preparing medication summaries.
Clinicians are generally optimistic about AI’s near-term benefits:
- 70% expect it will save them time within two to three years,
- 58% anticipate faster diagnoses, and
- 54% foresee more accurate diagnoses.
But trust remains limited. Only about 40% consider clinical AI tools trustworthy today, and many want safeguards such as citations, data provenance, privacy protections, human oversight, and independent review before relying on AI for clinical decision-making.
Why This Matters Now: AI’s Role in Addressing Workforce Pressures
Clinicians’ interest in AI reflects wider workforce challenges. The World Health Organization projects a global shortfall of around 11 million health workers by 2030, mostly in low- and lower-middle-income countries. This shortage makes technologies that can boost clinician capacity especially valuable.
Business and policy research groups highlight AI’s potential in this area. For example, the McKinsey Health Institute estimates that productivity gains from AI could free up enough clinician time to equal about two million additional healthcare workers, helping close part of the workforce gap if these time savings are reinvested in care.
Recent research also points to AI’s diagnostic promise. Microsoft’s experimental “AI Diagnostic Orchestrator,” for instance, has been reported to outperform unaided doctors on complex case studies. While still at the research stage, such results underline the technology’s potential.
Regional Differences in Adoption and Attitudes
The report highlights sharp regional contrasts. Clinicians in the Asia Pacific, especially in China, report higher use of AI in the workplace and greater optimism about its benefits. By contrast, North America and Europe show lower usage and more hesitation around clinical applications or second opinions.
Across regions, clinicians emphasized the need for institutional support, including reliable tools, training, governance, and clear guidance, to move from limited trials to safe, routine use.
Building Trust Through Governance and Transparency
Even where AI is adopted, clinicians stress non-technical priorities. They want transparency in outputs, protection of patient data, and independent clinical review. According to the survey:
- 68% said automatic citation of sources would increase trust,
- 65% highlighted the importance of input confidentiality, and
- 61% said an independent clinical review would help.
Clinicians also want AI systems trained on high-quality, peer-reviewed data and subject to regular external evaluation.
Key Recommendations for Stakeholders
The report outlines practical steps for safe adoption:
- Institutions should provide vetted, integrated AI tools, training for clinicians, and strong governance systems.
- Developers should ensure transparency, traceability, updated peer-reviewed training data, privacy safeguards, and independent validation.
- Governments and funders should continue focusing on workforce policy while supporting pilots and scaling of AI tools that demonstrably save clinician time for direct patient care.
From Possibility to Practice
The Clinician of the Future 2025 report captures a shift from asking whether AI belongs in healthcare to asking how it can be safely integrated. India’s clinicians are adopting AI at a striking pace, and globally, many expect gains in efficiency and diagnostic accuracy. But to realize these benefits at scale, institutions, regulators, and developers must close the trust and governance gaps and ensure that AI-driven efficiencies translate into more time with patients and better health outcomes.