AI in the EMR: Building Trust in Healthcare’s Next Digital Evolution

This blog post was co-written by Shanaya Mohammed, a fellow in APCO’s Chicago office.

The future of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare will be determined less by technical capability and more by trust.

As AI becomes further integrated into electronic medical records (EMR) and clinical operations, much of the conversation has focused on what these tools can do, like drafting clinical notes, summarizing patient histories, surfacing relevant information and supporting decision-making. The healthcare industry has faced similar technological transformations before, but the real challenge now centers on ensuring AI builds trust rather than undermining it.

Patients need to have confidence that AI-supported systems help them receive safer and more personalized care. Clinicians need assurance these tools support their knowledge and training, rather than replace their judgment. Healthcare organizations must show that any AI innovation is carried out responsibly, with patient well-being at its core. Building trust will require bringing patients along on the AI journey, ensuring they understand how these tools are used and where human oversight remains essential.

The Case for AI Adoption in Healthcare

Research has consistently shown that patients who better understand their health are more likely to follow treatment plans, participate in preventive care and make informed decisions about their well-being. The World Health Organization notes that health literacy is one of the strongest predictors of an individual’s health status, influencing a person’s ability to access, understand and use health information effectively.

AI has the opportunity to close longstanding communication gaps and empower healthcare consumers. Improving patient understanding is just the first of many ways these tools can strengthen healthcare delivery. Their value also lies in how they support clinicians and create more opportunities for meaningful patient engagement. If AI lowers administrative responsibilities and helps clinicians access information more promptly, it may create more opportunities for face-to-face discussion, patient education and collaborative decision-making.

Healthcare organizations should be transparent about these benefits and help patients understand that AI supports and strengthens the clinician-patient relationship rather than replacing it. A 2025 study published in JAMA Network Open found that clinicians using an AI-powered scribe spent 20% less time in the electronic health record, reduced after-hours documentation by 30% and gained about two additional minutes of face-to-face interaction with patients per visit. While the benefits are often framed in terms of efficiency, reducing administrative burden may also help alleviate burnout, improve job satisfaction and allow clinicians to focus more fully on patient care, supporting a more engaged workforce and a stronger patient experience. Yet realizing these benefits at scale depends on one factor: whether patients and clinicians trust the systems delivering them.

The Trust Gap: Why Adoption Stalls

Those seeking care today are navigating an increasingly complex health landscape. Many patients still leave appointments unsure about what they heard, what they should do next, or how recommendations apply to their daily lives. AI has the potential to address these challenges by helping both clinicians and care recipients navigate information more effectively. Many AI-enabled tools already help translate elaborate medical information into more accessible language, through plain-language explanations of lab results, visit summaries, educational resources, or personalized health information. Even so, patients may not always know when AI supports these communications or understand the role it plays in crafting the information they receive.

That lack of transparency can create uncertainty when trust is more important than ever. A 2026 national survey from the Coalition for Health AI found that 51% of respondents said AI makes them trust healthcare less, while more than 80% reported that their trust would increase if clear accountability measures were in place. As healthcare organizations integrate AI into patient-facing experiences, they should consider not only how these tools improve understanding but also how they communicate their use. Greater transparency about when AI is used, how outputs are reviewed and where clinician oversight remains essential can help build patient confidence in these technologies.

Trust Will Define the Future of AI in Healthcare

Healthcare’s future will not be defined by whether AI becomes part of the electronic medical record; that transition is already underway. It will be defined by whether organizations can use AI to strengthen the relationship between patients and providers. If healthcare organizations get that balance right, AI may prove to be one of the most important developments in the evolution of the EMR, making care more understandable, more accessible and, ultimately, more trusted.