Hospital AI and Robotics Adoption and Access Inequality in the United States
Research by Drexel Executive DBA graduate Aaron Johnson ’26 examined AI and robotics adoption across more than 6,100 U.S. hospitals, combining national hospital data with patient outcomes and socioeconomic and population data from more than 3,100 counties.
The study found a striking divide. In 2023, approximately 66% of the population studied lived within a 30-minute trip of a hospital offering AI-enabled care, leaving a significant portion of the population without the same proximity to these emerging technologies. Geographic access to both AI and robotics remained highly unequal even as the number of hospitals using AI increased substantially between 2022 and 2024. The research also explored whether particular uses of AI were associated with differences in patient care. Hospitals using AI for staff scheduling showed higher completion rates for recommended sepsis care, while the use of AI to automate routine tasks was associated with lower 30-day pneumonia mortality after researchers accounted for a range of hospital and community factors.
The findings do not establish that AI itself caused better outcomes. Instead, they identify important relationships that warrant further study as hospital adoption continues to grow.
The research raises a larger question for health care leaders and policymakers: As AI transforms health care, how can its potential benefits reach patients and communities more equitably?
Read Aaron Johnson’s complete article on Nature.com.
