UnitedHealth, the largest US health insurer, plans to invest US$3 billion in AI in 2026 and 2027. It is using the technology to summarize medical charts, analyze customer calls. It is also testing AI agents that call doctors’ offices for scheduling.

The company said AI should help cut costs after last year’s profit slump. UnitedHealth said it expected nearly US$1 billion in operating cost reductions this year, largely driven by AI. Its Optum Real coverage-check system has processed about 1 billion transactions since it launched last year.

Optum Real is designed to connect in real time payers and providers in real time. It  automate eligibility, prior authorization, claims, and payment data exchanges. These feature run through application programming interfaces now live with UnitedHealthcare.

The push also comes amid public skepticism. A 2025 Gallup survey found 69% of respondents had little or no trust in businesses to use AI responsibly.

UnitedHealth also faces litigation over the alleged use of an algorithm to limit care. It disputed those claims and said the tool was not used to make coverage decisions.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg

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