The latest Future Health Index from Philips offers a global picture of where healthcare stands with Artificial Intelligence in 2026. The intro states that it’s the largest global survey of its kind, analysing the perspectives of healthcare professionals and patients. It’s certainly insightful.
The report states that “AI is moving from promise to progress – giving clinicians back time for higher-value clinical work and care for more patients.” Yet, despite these gains, as many people have reported, the technology is not yet integrated at the scale needed to transform entire systems, with adoption outpacing the readiness of healthcare organisations to support it. The NHS have been a case in point that we’ve been writing extensively about.
A significant finding is that seventy per cent of professionals say training for these tools is unavailable, limited, or inconsistent at their organisation, and sixty-four per cent turn to personal AI tools when workplace options do not meet their needs. This gap suggests that the challenge is no longer about proving the value of AI, but about building the infrastructure, governance, and skills required to use it safely alongside existing clinical workflows. As the report also states, “AI innovation is moving faster than healthcare systems can absorb it”, creating a situation where pilot projects succeed while system-wide integration lags behind.
As we work with healthcare providers on both legacy maintenance and modern AI deployment, these global findings reaffirm the need for a hybrid approach. The report notes that nine in ten clinicians say it is essential to keep a human in the loop as AI technology advances, and they are most comfortable with AI acting as a partner rather than independently. This aligns with the reality that stable, older systems still hold critical patient data and must remain secure and operational.
The report shows that beyond buying new software, a focus on connecting fragmented data and ensuring interoperability is critical so that AI can act as a “cognitive layer” to bring information together. With fifty per cent of clinicians reporting that AI has increased their capacity to see more patients, the potential for expanded access is real, but only if organisations can provide “trusted, integrated tools” that fit within current operations. As the report concludes, the next phase will depend on “how effectively AI connects across workflows, data and care teams,” ensuring that the benefits of speed and efficiency do not come at the cost of the trust and human judgment that define medical care.
Download and read the full report here: https://www.philips.com/c-dam/corporate/newscenter/global/pdf/philips-future-health-index-2026-report-ai-in-practice.pdf
