It’s not exactly a scene out of Terminator, but artificial intelligence has quickly seized the veterinary industry and now powers a range of clinical and administrative tools. AI systems make big promises – and many of them are good ones – but beneath this exciting innovation lies a host of concerns that veterinary professionals shouldn’t ignore.
At Provet, we believe strongly that the digital tools you use in everyday practice should be thoroughly vetted for safety and security. Here is an overview of the emerging risks of AI in veterinary medicine and practical strategies for navigating this new frontier.
1. Overuse and errors
Clinical judgments and critical thinking can slowly erode when practices lean too heavily on AI-generated suggestions. The lure of efficiency and speed is hard to resist, but AI tools for veterinarians may prioritize pattern recognition over important context, such as patient history, breed-specific nuances, and client constraints or preferences. AI in veterinary medicine should support, not replace, clinical decision-making.
2. Impersonal client experiences
While AI-driven tools can take administrative tasks off your team’s plate, they also risk making client communication feel cold or impersonal. Clients may feel like they’re interacting with a bot at every turn, rather than the trusted veterinary team that cares for their pets. If AI systems take over too many client touchpoints, trust and satisfaction may suffer.
3. Undertrained models
Most veterinary AI tools are relatively new and may still be “learning.” Algorithms train on limited datasets, which may miss key real-world variables. As a result, they can produce inaccurate outputs or miss important clinical subtleties.
AI’s effectiveness is directly tied to the data used to train it. Without transparency about how a model works or how it was validated, veterinary professionals can be left in the dark about reliability.
4. Data security and ownership
AI in veterinary medicine may have access to sensitive private information, including electronic medical records, financial data, and client communications. This access introduces risk and raises questions about data security. Who owns the data created by the AI? How is it stored, shared, and protected? Partnering with AI providers who don’t prioritize data security may inadvertently expose clinics or clients to privacy violations or cyberattacks.
5. Poor integration
AI tools for veterinarians added to existing systems rather than built into the core software raise concerns about data security and which program’s policies govern that data. Additionally, poorly integrated tools can bog down your practice management software (PIMS) and introduce fragmented workflows that may lead to an increase in data entry errors.
6. Poor output quality
An AI tool is only as good as its training. Even when those AI tools work as intended, they can still produce unpredictable or poor-quality outputs that mislead veterinarians during diagnostic interpretation or produce generic client-facing information. AI tools aren’t human, and they may not adequately reproduce your practice’s brand voice or standards of care. When veterinary teams must edit or fix AI outputs, the promised time savings of AI don’t pan out.
7. Regulatory uncertainty
Currently, there is little regulatory oversight of AI in veterinary medicine. In many regions, including the US and Canada, there are guidelines on using AI safely, but no official agency in charge of regulating their development, validation, or use. This lack of oversight creates a gray zone where practices may unknowingly adopt products that haven’t been tested to their standards or that make unfounded claims about performance.
8. Biases and access to care
Bias in the algorithm may mean that a tool works well in one geographic area or on specific populations, but may give inaccurate results in another population. This happens when training data doesn’t consider these possible differences, which can be easy for developers to overlook. Additionally, AI in veterinary medicine can be expensive. When practices in underserved areas can’t afford the technology, it could increase disparities in access to care.
Mitigating the risks: what practices can do
Despite the risks of AI in veterinary medicine, responsible use has many potential benefits. Here are practical steps veterinary clinics can take to reduce risk and maximize the benefit of their AI tools:
- Treat AI as a tool – Human expertise must remain central in clinical decision-making.
- Choose well-integrated or native tools – Avoid add-on systems that create extra work. AI tools should work within your PIMS, not against it.
- Demand transparency – Ask questions before adopting a new AI tool, including about data sources, training protocols, accuracy testing, and limitations.
- Educate your team – Provide training on any new AI tools in the practice or on using generative AI like ChatGPT, and provide clear guidelines for when, how, and why they should use it in practice.
- Monitor outputs – Be skeptical. Track the performance of AI and note when a tool makes mistakes or creates more work for the team. If it’s not improving efficiency or quality, reconsider its role.
- Disclose to clients – If AI is involved in a pet’s care, disclose it transparently to clients and allow them to opt out if desired. Reassure clients that you are using only properly vetted tools and that humans make care decisions, not bots.
- Get involved – Professional veterinary organizations are closely watching AI develop and taking action to establish ethical use frameworks. Get involved to stay in the loop and contribute your thoughts and experiences to future policies.
Key takeaways
- AI in veterinary medicine must be used with caution. Overreliance can lead to diagnostic errors and impersonal client experiences.
- The quality and safety of AI tools vary greatly. Look for products that integrate seamlessly with your PIMS and provide transparency over development and data management.
- Veterinary practices must take responsibility for thoughtful AI adoption and actively participate in conversations surrounding the use and regulation of AI tools.
Using AI responsibly with Provet
AI in veterinary medicine has promise and risk. When thoughtfully chosen and integrated, AI-enhanced tools can reduce staff workload, streamline clinical decision-making, and elevate the standard of care in your practice. But when used without oversight, or added to workflows or PIMS systems that weren’t built to handle it, AI can introduce uncertainty.
Provet has taken a thoughtful and deliberate approach to AI tool development within our veterinary practice management software. We adhere to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and our parent company is certified in internationally recognized standards for information security, so you can trust our AI to safeguard your data.
Book a demo to see Provet in action and learn how we strategically leverage AI to boost hospital efficiency and support veterinary teams in their mission to serve pet-owning families worldwide.
