AI is the burning issue of the day, hotly debated by tech titans as computational power now doubles roughly every three to four months and is still accelerating.

In the meantime, AI developers in healthcare have been working relentlessly to develop AI tools that can improve healthcare experiences and patient outcomes.

Recent surveys of healthcare professionals (HCPs) show that the majority are broadly positive about the benefits AI can bring to their practice and their patients, ranging from improving efficiency by removing labour-intensive routine tasks, to improving diagnostic and prognostic accuracy, as well as improving care coordination.

Corti is an AI-powered ‘co-pilot’ for emergency medicine staffers that can assist emergency medical professionals by alerting them. For instance, if it identifies a heart attack in progress it will help them make life-saving decisions.

However, concerns still remain for physicians about the possibility that AI might reduce their role in diagnosis and treatment with some hesitant to trust a ‘black box’ algorithm they don’t fully understand. While others fear these tools could even weaken the crucial trust-based physician-patient therapeutic relationship.

Healthcare marketers can play a critical role in supporting acceptance of AI solutions by deploying behaviour change interventions that foster greater trust.

Our ‘health more human’ principles at Evoke centre on clearly communicating the patient benefits alongside telling a simple compelling story. And, when it comes to AI, practical tips to build trust must be founded on behavioural science to drive meaningful cut-through, which include:

Be human – AI may be groundbreaking, but HCPs and patients just want to know what it will do and what it will mean for their lives. Introduce the patient voice wherever possible in the process of developing communications about your AI platform and demonstrate how patients and HCPs have contributed to it.

Be simple – Be clear about the unmet need your AI solution answers, use plain language to show how it works and why. Ensure communications interfaces are simple and intuitive.

Be transparent – Be honest by explaining how the AI algorithm works, which data sets it uses and the potential built-in biases and limitations.

Be approachable – Use relatable images, plain language and a recognisably human tone of voice in branding and communications to foster trust. Ensure support services are clearly signposted.

As a platform, Evoke is supporting clients on many of the latest innovations in AI – from diagnosis to exciting developments in patient engagement and the wider Cx journey. With AI we have an exciting opportunity to transform healthcare for the better, as long as we focus on the human experience and making health more engaging, intuitive and inclusive.

Alix Critchley is Chief Strategy Officer at Evoke