Artificial intelligence in European healthcare: risk perceptions and regulatory challenges

This article investigates how European citizens perceive the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into healthcare systems, focusing in particular on the interplay between perceived benefits and regulatory expectations. Drawing on data from the Special Eurobarometer 551 survey conducted in March 2024 across the 27 EU Member States (N > 26,000), the study explores national and sociodemographic variations in how AI is evaluated in terms of healthcare relevance, public regulation, and digital rights implementation. The findings reveal widespread support for AI in improving diagnostic accuracy and operational efficiency, particularly among younger, urban, and digitally connected populations. However, these optimistic views coexist with significant concern over data privacy, the depersonalisation of care, and the opacity of algorithmic decision-making. Citizens in countries with more robust digital infrastructures tend to exhibit both higher confidence in AI and stronger demands for regulatory safeguards. Conversely, in less digitally developed contexts, public trust and expectations remain lower. Framed within the sociology of risk and sociotechnical imaginaries, this study demonstrates that perceptions of AI are not merely technical assessments but are deeply embedded in social inequalities, (dis)trust in institutions, and cultural narratives of progress and control. The research calls for inclusive, context-sensitive governance frameworks that address digital divides and reinforce public accountability. In doing so, it contributes to broader debates on how emerging technologies transform not only clinical practices but also public expectations, ethical standards, and the governance of health-related risk.