AI Adoption Among Indian Clinicians Triples in a Year

In India, 52% believe most patients will soon use AI to self-diagnose, compared with the global average of 38%.

Artificial intelligence (AI) use among Indian clinicians has surged sharply over the past year, according to Elsevier’s Clinician of the Future 2025 report.

The survey shows that 41% of clinicians in India have used AI in their work this year, up from just 12% in 2024, a more than three-fold increase.

India’s adoption rate now stands ahead of several advanced healthcare markets, including the United States (36%) and the United Kingdom (34%), and is very close to, though just below, the global average of 48%.

By comparison, China leads with 71%, while the Asia-Pacific regional average is 56%.

The report is based on responses from 2,206 clinicians across 109 countries, including 292 respondents from India (257 doctors and 35 nurses).

Among clinicians globally who reported using AI, 97% had used generalist tools such as ChatGPT, while 76% had used clinical-specific AI platforms.

However, only 16% currently use AI to support clinical decision-making, reflecting that adoption remains focused on administrative, research, or supportive tasks rather than direct diagnosis or treatment.

In India, clinicians voiced strong expectations about patient behaviour: 52% believe most patients will soon use AI to self-diagnose, compared with the global average of 38%.

The report also highlights workload pressures in India, with nearly two-thirds of clinicians saying they are seeing more patients than two years ago. Among those considering career changes, over one-fifth said they may leave healthcare altogether.

Globally, the main reported benefits of AI were time savings (57%) and a sense of professional empowerment (53%). But institutional readiness has not kept pace with clinician uptake.

Fewer than one-third of respondents rated their hospitals or organizations highly for AI training, governance, or formal support.

The sharp rise in usage shows how quickly clinicians in India are integrating AI into daily work.

While the country has moved ahead of the US and UK in adoption levels, its rate remains just below the global average, though very close to it, and far behind China’s leading position.

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