Almost 40% of vets are using AI tools to gain a competitive edge

Digitail—a veterinary practice management software—and the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) found out that more than 8 out of 10 (83.8%) vets in the US are familiar with artificial intelligence (AI) tools and software.

Over a third (39.2%) of vets surveyed reported using AI tools to supplement their practice. Of those who have used these tools professionally, 69.5% reported daily or weekly use, 18.2% reported using them monthly, and 12.4% reported using them rarely.

The survey, that asked 3,968 veterinary professionals, found a direct correlation between the use of AI and the enthusiasm for using technology, with those who were more familiar with AI being statistically more optimistic about adopting it in veterinary medicine (65.6%).

On the other hand, 15.5% of respondents were opposed to using AI technology, while 38.7% were interested in incorporating these tools. 

The benefits

Imaging, radiology, record keeping and administrative tasks were the most common applications and areas vets had used AI tools (39% each), followed by voice-to-text transcription (36.9%) and diagnosis and disease detection (34.1%).

Other common AI applications were in client communication and education (31.7%), analyzing patient history and treatment planning (each at 31.1%). 

As reported, the top perceived benefits of using AI were improved productivity and time conservation (60.6%), reduced administrative workload (56.1%) and increased efficiency in treatment and diagnosis (46.1%). 

37.6% of respondents also linked benefits to their staff’s enhanced well-being and job satisfaction, while 37% said AI provided support with decision-making.

41.6% felt that AI could benefit client education the most, while 38.6% found its advantages in writing patient records. 

Most veterinary professionals surveyed who were supportive of the use of AI tools believed that integrating new technologies like AI has the potential to significantly contribute to revenue growth by increasing the number of patients (57.7%), enhancing resource allocation (73%) and potentially providing their hospitals with a competitive advantage (52.5%).

Top concerns: reliability and security 

Despite all the benefits, adopting AI in veterinary practices was still met with pointed skepticism, with almost half (45.8%) feeling unsure about adopting and incorporating AI into their practice.

The top 3 concerns were reliability and accuracy (70.3%), data security and privacy (53.9%), and the lack of training and knowledge of using these tools (42.9%).

However, the report shows that over half of all respondents feel that the increasing availability of case studies and training, personal positive experiences and existing integrations of AI within the current software used at veterinary practices may encourage the adoption of this technology.