AI and Automation in U.S. Healthcare: The Boom, the Backlash, and What Investors Need to Know in 2026

Healthcare in the United States is having two very different conversations about artificial intelligence at the same time and both are correct.

In boardrooms and investor decks, AI is the engine behind one of the fastest-growing segments of the economy. The U.S. AI-in-healthcare market is projected to expand from roughly $15.85 billion in 2026 to nearly $269 billion by 2035 a compound annual growth rate close to 37%. On hospital floors and in clinic break rooms, that same technology is fueling real anxiety about job security, workload, and what the future of clinical work actually looks like.

For investors, operators, and health-tech leaders trying to figure out where the next decade of value will be created, understanding why both stories exist and how they connect is the difference between chasing a headline and building a durable thesis.