How physicians think AI will boost productivity, compensation

A new survey found that about one-quarter of physicians think that AI will boost not only their productivity, but their compensation.

While a new Doximity survey found that most physicians are using AI weekly, it also found that just under one-quarter think using the technology will help boost their income in the next year. Physicians also said they think AI will help, not hurt, their job security.

AI and physician compensation

In Doximity’s 2026 survey, 73% of physicians in their 30s said they use AI at least weekly, compared with 66% of physicians in their 40s, 59% in their 50s and 52% in their 60s. Primary care physicians were more likely than surgeons to report using AI: 66% vs. 58%.

The survey asked physicians how they think AI will affect their compensation:

• Nearly one-quarter of physicians (23%) said they expect AI to increase their overall compensation in the next year.
• More than two-thirds (67%) said that physicians who stay current with AI tools will have a meaningful earnings advantage over colleagues who don’t adopt them during the next year.
• Primary care physicians were more likely than surgeons to report that AI would give them an earnings advantage: 67% vs. 55%.

AI and physician productivity

• One-fifth (20%) of physicians said they expected AI to increase their productivity. The number was slightly higher for women (23%) than men (18%).
• About one-quarter (26%) of physicians in their 30s said AI is reducing their workload, compared with 19% of physicians in their 40s and 50s and 14% in their 60s.

AI and doctor job security

• More than two-thirds of physicians (78%) said that AI has made them more confident about their job security or had no affect at all. Older physicians were more confident that AI would not hurt their job security.
• Most physicians (66%) said AI would not affect demand in their specialty over the next three years. Among physicians over 30, 75% said AI has increased or hasn’t hurt their job security. For physicians under 30, that number dropped to 55%.
• While 77% of PCPs said AI has increased or hasn’t hurt their job security, that number was lowest among nonsurgical specialists: 73%. Among surgeons, it was higher: 85%.

Impact of AI on physician demand

• 19% of physicians said AI would increase demand for doctors; 16% said it would decrease demand.
• Among PCPs, 17% thought demand for physicians would increase compared to 20% who though demand would decrease.
• Surgeons were more likely to expect demand in their specialty to go up, with 19% predicting an increase compared to 10% who predicted a decrease.
• 39% of physicians said proficiency is a factor in hiring and promotion decisions for their specialty. 15% said AI was a “major” or “moderate” factor in those decisions.

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