The AI Wild West Is Over: Why 2026 Is the Year Health Systems Must Take Control Premier | April 12, 2026

https://www.healthaffairs.org/sponsored-content/the-ai-wild-west-is-over-why-2026-is-the-year-health-systems-must-take-control?utm_campaign=34032557-Health%20Affairs%20Sunday%20Update%202026&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8miW1h1mNA3Y5RpSY6G1F5OcJfJ3wR1pq4DR-a4ijOaAurfk5Yqx9LH_-HsBiODZbtxydP6455ElR3kdMvWgEzKzR1Yg&_hsmi=414329065&utm_content=414329065&utm_source=hs_email Artificial intelligence has moved rapidly from experimentation to everyday use in healthcare. By the end of 2025, more than two‑thirds of U.S. hospitals were using some form of AI in daily operations. What once felt like a future ambition is now embedded in scheduling, documentation, analytics, and even clinical decision support. Yet this speed has created new risks. Fragmented data, isolated pilots, weak governance, and intense competition for AI talent have produced an environment where innovation often moves faster than strategy.