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December 2025 - Health

Just over a quarter of GPs now use AI in the workplace, new research shows: A recent study containing responses from General Practitioners around the UK shows that one in four (28%) use AI in their clinical practice. Among the 28%, 13% use tools provided by their practice, 11% use tools they have obtained independently, and 4% use a combination of both.

Nuffield Trust used a mixed method approach to gather the data, including a nationwide survey (as part of the Royal College of General Practitioners’ (RCGP) annual GP Voice Survey) which reached 2,108 GPs and a series of online focus groups that were partly funded by Optum UK. The aim of the research is to give an insight into AI use just as the 10 Year Health Plan commits to a rapid expansion of AI in the NHS.

The data suggests that different demographics have varying use of AI. For example, a third (33%) of male GP respondents said they have used AI, compared to only a quarter (25%) of females. The variation also persists between socioeconomically deprived and affluent areas. 1,046 GPs said they worked in more deprived areas and of them, just over a quarter (27%) use AI tools. Whereas, when you compare that to the 467 respondents that work in more affluent areas, a third of them (35%) embrace AI. 

Self-obtained AI tools are most likely to be used by younger GPs rather than their relatively older counterparts, with 15% of GPs 35 and under using AI tools they had brought to work compared to 8% of GPs aged 55 or more. Furthermore, only 6% of GPs aged 65 and over use practice-provided AI tools, suggesting the somewhat older GPs are less likely to use AI in general.

The research also shows that of the 597 respondents that reported which tasks they use AI tools for, nearly three in five (57%) were using it for clinical documentation and note taking. Just over two in five (44%) were using it for administrative tasks, but only 28% use it to support clinical decision-making.

GP respondents reported either automated clinical documentation and note generation (23%) or administrative workflow automation (20%) as the AI tool that will be most valuable in 2-3 years’ time. They believe if AI can handle time-consuming tasks reliably, it will allow them to focus on complex clinical reasoning and meaningful patient relationships.

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