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Key Takeaways
- Transparency and trust are critical. Californians want to know when AI is being used in their care, how it works, and what safeguards protect their data — with clear, accessible explanations that don’t require patients to ask the right questions.
- Human connection must remain central. Across all groups, participants emphasized that AI should support clinicians, not replace them, and that the personal, empathic relationship between patients and providers is essential to high-quality care.
- Cultural context must shape AI adoption. Different communities have distinct concerns and priorities — from translation needs among non-English speakers to heightened skepticism among Black participants about AI perpetuating existing biases in the health system.
CHCF conducted focus groups across California to understand how residents feel about artificial intelligence in health care. The findings reveal a nuanced perspective: Californians are open to AI’s potential to improve care quality and to give medical providers more time with patients — but only if it’s used safely, transparently, and with an option to opt out. Participants’ concerns focused less on the technology itself and more on the risks of misuse, depersonalization, and lack of transparency in how AI is deployed.
The focus groups brought together 172 patients from diverse backgrounds, reflecting differences in geography, race and ethnicity, language, age, and insurance type. Across all groups, participants emphasized that AI should ease administrative burdens and support providers — not replace the personal, empathic connections between patients and clinicians. Cultural context matters deeply: Latino/x participants valued in-person care and worried AI might erode it, while Black participants expressed heightened skepticism, citing concerns that AI could perpetuate existing biases in medical treatment. Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander respondents saw potential benefits in AI translation services that could promote inclusivity and independence.
