AI Is Now the World’s Top Healthcare IT Investment, Report Finds
Key Takeaways:
- Artificial intelligence is now the leading healthcare IT investment priority across most major markets outside the United States, named by 57% of organisations surveyed.
- Ambient AI dominates clinical interest, with third-party tools such as Microsoft Dragon Copilot commanding the widest cross-regional appeal.
- Cloud adoption is maturing from planning to deployment, with nearly three-quarters of organisations now using the cloud in some capacity.
AI moves to the front of the queue
Interest in artificial intelligence continues to surge, and it has now risen to the top of the priority list for healthcare organisations across most major markets outside the United States. According to a new report from KLAS Research, the share of organisations naming AI as a strategic initiative climbed by 15 percentage points year on year – a striking marker of how quickly the technology has moved from experiment to strategic imperative.
The fourth annual KLAS Research report gathered insights from 182 healthcare organisations spanning 43 countries and territories outside the United States. Artificial intelligence emerged as the single most cited healthcare IT investment priority, named by 57% of respondents. It was followed by electronic health record (EHR) and digitalisation work at 44%, IT and infrastructure at 26%, cybersecurity at 25% and imaging at 23%.
Ambient AI captures the clinical imagination
When respondents were asked which technologies most excited them, ambient AI stood out clearly. A matching 57% pointed to ambient AI as the most “exciting emerging technologies,” ahead of other clinical AI at 17%, operational AI at 16% and general or unspecified AI at 16%.
Governance is keeping pace with enthusiasm. AI strategy, governance and adoption ranked as the leading priority in every region at 37%, followed by clinical documentation at 19%, imaging at 13%, AI platforms and integration at 11%, advanced capabilities at 10%, clinical decision support at 4%, operational efficiency at 3% and patient engagement and experience at 3%.
Among the ambient AI offerings drawing the most attention, the majority are supplied by third-party vendors. Microsoft Dragon Copilot continues to hold the highest cross-regional mindshare, while interest in Heidi Health has grown across Europe and Oceania over the past year. A number of regional players are also in the running, with Augnito attracting interest in the Middle East and TORTUS gaining ground in the UK.
As ambient documentation and clinical AI move from pilot projects into everyday practice, primary care professionals are increasingly expected to understand not only how these tools function, but when their use is appropriate, safe and ethical – a skills gap that structured continuing professional development is beginning to address.
Cloud strategies mature from planning to practice
Cloud adoption is accelerating as organisations shift from planning towards deployment. Nearly three-quarters of respondents now draw on the cloud in some capacity as part of their IT strategy. While only 26% report having moved a core system – such as an EHR, PACS or ERP – into the cloud, organisations worldwide are increasingly operationalising their cloud plans and moving beyond evaluation towards meaningful adoption, according to KLAS data.
Electronic health records sit at the centre of these cloud strategies. More than a third of cloud users – particularly across the Middle East and Canada – have moved all or part of their EHR to the cloud, while nearly a quarter have partially or fully migrated imaging applications such as PACS.
Artificial intelligence is itself shaping how organisations approach the cloud. Those earliest in their cloud journey most often report either using specific AI tools within the cloud or moving their data infrastructure into cloud environments to unlock stronger analytics and computing capabilities.
Electronic health records anchor digital investment
For the organisations reporting EHR and digitalisation investments, nearly a third are either actively implementing an EHR or weighing up replacements or consolidations – chiefly across Europe, the Middle East and Oceania, the report notes.
“Those not involved in such projects are largely focused on increasing digital maturity and optimizing existing EHRs to improve workflows and strengthen the foundations needed for AI and analytics, which is a consistent priority across regions; Latin America in particular has a focus on increasing digital maturity,” the report said.
Consulting demand cools as purchasing slows
Alongside the enthusiasm for AI, analysts observed a cooling in appetite for outside help. Global interest in consulting firms declined between 2025 and 2026, with 42% of organisations reporting no plans to engage such firms and only 25% citing “concrete plans” to bring in consultants for upcoming IT initiatives. The report also noted that 2025 saw the lowest level of EHR purchasing activity in years.
CCH insight
As ambient AI and clinical documentation tools become part of routine care, the professionals using them need to know how to apply AI safely, ethically and effectively at the point of care. The College of Contemporary Health’s CPD-accredited short course, AI Essentials for Primary Care: Tools, Ethics and Everyday Applications (3.5 CPD points, 3.5 hours), is designed to help clinicians do exactly that.
