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Most doctors see the advantage of using artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, even though they remain concerned about it, an American Medical Association (AMA) .

The survey of 1,081 doctors showed that 65% of respondents believe there is "some advantage" or a "definite advantage" in using AI technology in healthcare, compared with just 11% who believe there is "some disadvantage" or a "definite disadvantage," the survey found.

Still, 29% of respondents said they are more concerned than excited about the use of AI, while 41% percent said they are equally concerned and excited -- suggesting most physicians remain reserved about its potential in healthcare.

"Physicians are optimistic about the advantages that properly designed AI-enabled tools can have for patient care, and nearly two-thirds of physicians see an advantage to AI if key requirements are met," AMA President Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH, who is board certified in both anesthesiology and clinical informatics, said in a statement.

Despite their optimism for AI, most doctors (62%) are not currently using it in their practices, according to the survey. The most common use cases were creating discharge instructions, care plans, and/or progress notes (14%) and documenting billing codes, medical charts, or visit notes (13%).

As for ChatGPT specifically, 72% said they never use it professionally, and 62% said they don't use it personally. Still, 17% said they "occasionally" used ChatGPT professionally, and 25% said they "occasionally" used it personally.

When asked how AI might be most helpful to doctors, they ranked diagnostic ability (72%) and improving work efficiency (69%) at the top of the list. They also had high hopes for improving the patient experience, such as better care coordination (56%) and convenience (56%).

As for physician enthusiasm about AI, doctors were most excited about its potential in documentation (54%) and automation of pre-authorization (48%).

However, respondents also expressed concerns that AI could hurt patients when it comes to their privacy (41%) or the patient-physician relationship (39%).

"The AMA survey illustrates that physicians' greatest hope for AI rests in reducing the crushing administrative burdens that plague modern medicine, which drain health care resources and pull physicians away from patient care," Ehrenfeld said in a statement.

For the survey, conducted in August 2023, the AMA used its as a template, and updated it to focus on AI use in healthcare. The majority of survey respondents were specialists (n=661) and employed physicians (n=776). However, the split between respondents who self-identified as tech adopters or tech-averse was similar (525 vs 556).

The AMA also released for the development, deployment, and use of AI last month. Those principles outlined expectations for AI implementation in healthcare, including the need for transparency, oversight, and data privacy and security.

The survey highlights the growing interest and acceptance of AI in healthcare, according to the AMA. The association also said these results will be used to inform the development of AI-powered tools that can meet the needs and expectations of physicians.

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