One in Four UK GPs Now Using Generative AI in Clinical Practice
Largest year-on-year survey shows AI moving from “taboo to tool” in British medicine
A new national study finds that one in four UK General Practitioners (GPs) are now using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT in clinical practice — despite 95 percent reporting no formal training and little employer guidance.
The study, led by Dr Charlotte Blease (Uppsala University; author of Dr Bot, Yale University Press 2025) with researchers from Basel University (Switzerland), the Karolinska Institute (Sweden), University of Manchester (UK), and Harvard Medical School (USA), is published in Digital Health and embargoed until 25 November 2025, 10:00 CET.
“In just twelve months, generative AI has gone from taboo to tool in British medicine,” said Dr Charlotte Blease, Uppsala University and Harvard Medical School. “Doctors are using these systems because they help — not because anyone told them to. The real risk isn’t that GPs are using AI; it’s that they’re doing it without training or oversight.
Key Findings (GPAI-UK-2025 Survey)
- 25 % of UK GPs now use GenAI in clinical work (up from 20 % in 2024).
- 35 % use it for writing documentation; 27 % for differential diagnoses; 24 % for treatment or referrals.
- 71 % say GenAI helps reduce their workload.
- 95 % report no professional training; 85 % say their employer has not encouraged its use.
The findings highlight a rapid, largely unsupervised rise in AI adoption across the NHS. The authors warn that while doctors are turning to GenAI to manage workloads, clear training, policy, and transparency standards are urgently needed worldwide.
“This is a wake-up call,” added Dr Blease. “AI is already being used in everyday medicine. The challenge now is to ensure it’s deployed safely, ethically, and openly.”
Article:
Blease C, Josefin H, Sanchez CG, Kharko A, McMillan B, Gaab J, Brulin E, Locher C, Hägglund M, Riggare S, Mandl K.
General Practitioners’ Adoption of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Clinical Practice in the UK: An Updated Online Survey.
Digital Health. 2025 Oct 21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076251394287