A recent survey conducted by Digitail, in collaboration with the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), sheds light on the growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in veterinary practices. The study, titled “AI in Veterinary Medicine: The Next Paradigm Shift,” gathered insights from 3,968 veterinary professionals, revealing key trends in adoption, sentiment, applications, benefits, concerns, and future outlook surrounding AI in the field.
Veterinary AI adoption and sentiment
The survey uncovered that 39.2% of respondents are currently utilizing AI tools or software within their veterinary settings. Among those who have incorporated AI, 69.5% reported using these tools on a daily or weekly basis.
Furthermore, the study suggests a positive correlation between the frequency of AI usage and enthusiasm towards the technology.
Current applications and perceived benefits
AI applications in veterinary medicine primarily revolve around imaging and radiology, administrative tasks, and voice-to-text transcription. Respondents cited several benefits of AI integration, including enhanced productivity, time savings, reduced administrative workload, and increased efficiency in diagnosis and treatment processes.
While the adoption of AI in veterinary practices is on the rise, concerns about the reliability and accuracy of AI systems remain prevalent among 70.3% of respondents. Additionally, 53.9% expressed apprehensions regarding data security and privacy.
Factors driving AI adoption include the availability of case studies, training opportunities, positive personal experiences, and existing integrations of AI within current software used at practices.
Future outlook
Looking ahead, the survey indicates that 38.7% of veterinary professionals are interested in incorporating AI tools into their practices in the near future. Conversely, 15.5% of respondents expressed clear opposition to AI adoption.
However, the majority of participants believe that integrating AI into clinic workflows could significantly contribute to revenue growth, employee satisfaction, client retention, and overall competitive advantage.
Sebastian Gabor, CEO at Digitail, highlighted the trend of increased AI usage among veterinary professionals, noting that those who have embraced AI are leveraging its benefits on a regular basis.
Gabor emphasized that while universal implementation of AI in veterinary medicine may be premature, the technology demonstrates reliability and positive impact in specific applications.
