Europe’s AI Health Boom Runs Into a Trust Gap

An EY survey finds AI increasingly shapes care decisions, while distrust of virtual care complicates Europe’s digital health shift.

3 Sep 2026

Artificial intelligence is moving closer to the start of the patient journey. EY’s Global Consumer Health Survey, published in June 2026, found that consumers are increasingly using AI-generated health information to make decisions about tests, treatments and prescriptions.

The survey covered 7,500 consumers across 10 markets, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland and Switzerland. More than half of respondents, 56%, said they had requested or would consider requesting a test, treatment or prescription based on information from AI tools. Some consumers are also using digital sources to self-diagnose or delay an in-person appointment.

In Europe, however, enthusiasm for digital health is colliding with a deeper trust problem. Half of European respondents identified trust as a barrier to virtual care, compared with 28 percent in North America. For telehealth companies, that divide suggests technology alone will not determine adoption.

Patient confidence will also depend on how clearly digital services handle clinical credibility, privacy and the role of AI in care decisions. European health providers face the added challenge of meeting patient expectations within a regulatory environment that can differ sharply from North America.

Kim Dalla Torre, EY’s global health leader, framed the change in terms of influence. “As AI becomes a front door to health information, health organizations need to recognize that digital influence no longer stops at awareness,” Dalla Torre said. Patients may increasingly arrive at consultations with decisions already shaped by algorithmic guidance.

That shift gives European health-tech businesses an opening, but also raises the cost of getting trust wrong. Providers that can make AI-mediated care understandable, credible and secure may be better placed as patient journeys become increasingly digital. Those that cannot risk losing influence before a consultation even begins.