Andrew Horton, AI Expert and Tech Executive

With all the hype around AI today, the challenge for healthcare leaders is to cut through all the noise and get to the priority areas that can help them better run their organizations and provide improvements in patient care.

But it’s not easy. Most of the messaging out there is generated (whether by people or generative AI) from the perspective of the creators, generally reflecting where they have ‘skin-in-the-game’. Much of it is also highly aspirational, not practical in the foreseeable future—because that’s what gets headlines. Beyond this overload of siloed information, healthcare leaders and practitioners usually must turn to their networks for ad hoc advice from colleagues that are sticking their neck out and giving things a try.

Thankfully, new scientific research is starting to provide a practical, consolidated view of current reality. In January 2025, a comprehensive study was published by researchers collaborating from universities across US, UK, India and Nepal in the article “The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Healthcare: A Comprehensive Review of Advancements in Diagnostics, Treatment, and Operational Efficiency”. This research is robust, as it analyzed the impact of AI on healthcare based on data collected from the Web of Science (2014–2024), focusing on keywords such as AI, ML, and healthcare related applications. 

The goal of the authors was to complete a thorough analysis of AI’s effects on healthcare while also providing healthcare stakeholders with an actionable road map to help with navigating a rapidly changing environment. Overall, the focus on AI in healthcare has primarily been in the areas of diagnostics, treatment, and operational efficiency.

Specific takeaways include:

Benefits

• AI is enhancing the skills of medical professionals, improving diagnostic processes and opening the door to more personalized medicine and individualized treatment plans.
• In scholarly healthcare publications, AI has risen from being covered in 3.54% of articles in 2014 to represent 16.33% by 2024.
• Applications like remote monitoring and predictive analytics are showing evidence of improving operational effectiveness and patient engagement.

These findings point to tangible opportunities from the continued focus on AI in healthcare. However, as with all progress, the road isn’t straight and without obstacles.

Challenges

• Major obstacles stand in the way of mainstream implementation of AI in healthcare, reflecting issues around data security and budget constraints.
• Responsible, ethical use is paramount given the highly confidential nature of patient/caregiver information.
• Progress requires ongoing research, instruction, and multidisciplinary cooperation and responsibility.

The bottom line is that scientific research shows that AI is having a measurable impact on healthcare. It isn’t just hype. Overall, AI is relevant across the vital areas of diagnostics, treatment, and operational efficiency. This shows the vast potential it has. As healthcare leaders and practitioners, this is reassuring, and gives us the confidence to dig-in further to explore individual projects, making sure we stay well aware of the challenges noted.

To read the complete research study, visit PMC PubMed Central:

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Healthcare: A Comprehensive Review of Advancements in Diagnostics, Treatment, and Operational Efficiency – PMC

About Andrew Horton

Andrew Horton is an authority on Artificial Intelligence (AI), expert in decision theory and award-winning technology marketing executive. His pioneering academic research gave rise to the innovative areas of Causal Economic Machine Learning (CEML) and Causal Economics (CE), which focus on the optimal relationship between human and artificial decision making. Andrew serves as President of the Human AI Association. He is head of marketing at leading global technology company Teknicor, driving growth in data center infrastructure, cybersecurity, cloud, SaaS and apps. Andrew is a best-selling author of popular business books on effective decision making. He holds an advanced degree in economics from Western University and an MBA from The Ivey School of Business.