Report Bcg-Leads

Artificial intelligence in Italian healthcare: growing use, absent strategy

The survey captures an uneven adoption of Ai: women use it more than men, but remain excluded from leadership. And they call for training, mentoring and a regulatory framework that guarantees ethics and inclusiveness

by Francesca Cerati

24 June 2025

4' min read

Key points

Cultural biases and perceived risks
Levers to bridge the gap
Empathy at the heart of change
Strategy and vision: systemic challenges
The role of institutions and the training node
Looking to the future: skills and sustainability

4' min read

Artificial intelligence (Ai) is revolutionising work in healthcare. But there is one surprising fact: it is often women who are driving its adoption, but they do not perceive Ai as a lever for their professional growth. This is what emerges from the report 'AI and women's leadership in healthcare', conducted by the Boston Consulting Group in collaboration with Leads.

In the Italian healthcare sector, where women represent over 76% of the workforce, the uptake of GenAi is still limited. More than 60% of professionals claim to be unfamiliar with these tools and 80% receive no specific training. However, 58% of female professionals have already introduced GenAi in their teams, compared to 33% of male colleagues. A figure that, observes Alessandra Catozzella, managing director of Bcg and curator of the study, "can perhaps be explained by the choice to face change collectively. Women, not always feeling ready individually, push teams to adopt Ai in order to share responsibility and risk'.

A picture that highlights a paradox: women use Ai more, but consider it less useful for themselves. Only one in two perceives it as a possibility for personal growth or career advancement, and just 9% of respondents indicate Ai as one of the main drivers of adoption.

Cultural biases and perceived risks

The report emphasises that the gap is not only technological, but also cultural. Women show greater awareness of the risks associated with Ai, from algorithmic bias to privacy, and feel less supported. "16% of women say they do not use artificial intelligence because they perceive it as risky, compared to 0% of men. This is an important signal: not only is there a lack of training, but also a lack of a clear regulatory framework,' Catozzella further explains.

The critical point, adds Juli Hysenbelli, project coordinator for Leads, 'is that women are more curious, more open to experimentation, but find it hard to see Ai as a tool for leadership. There is a systemic distrust that needs to be addressed with appropriate tools, starting with mentoring and targeted training'.

Levers to bridge the gap

The report proposes 10 strategic levers for a more equitable adoption of Ai. These include mentoring programmes, ongoing and inclusive training, participatory tool design, and above all, recognition of the value of emotional intelligence. "Women ask for more training, coaching and a regulatory framework that allows them to use Ai without feeling exposed. Men, on the other hand, say they get by even with online courses,' Catozzella points out.

The issue of skills has emerged as a priority. 'In Italy there are still no large-scale, structured experiences of Ai training in healthcare,' he observes, 'but interesting examples come from Asia and Northern Europe, where governments are implementing national plans to train civil servants as well.

Empathy at the heart of change

Artificial intelligence promises efficiency and automation. But at the heart of digital transformation in healthcare, a profoundly human element remains indispensable: emotional intelligence. And that is not a 'nice to have', but a key competence. "It is in fact the ability to recognise, manage and consciously use emotions to build effective relationships, lead teams and make complex decisions," the report states. An insight well summarised by the quote from Amit Ray, one of the promoters of the Compassionate Ai concept: 'The more Ai enters our world, the more emotional intelligence must enter our leadership style'.

Female leadership, therefore, which can find a distinctive advantage precisely in these skills. 'The risk of healthcare without empathy,' Catozzella warns, 'is enormous: if artificial intelligence also automates the decision to invest in research, who will guarantee attention to rare diseases or fragile populations? Empathy and ethics must guide technology'.

Strategy and Vision: Systemic Challenges

The report does not fail to point out the limitations of the Italian context. 'Today, the adoption of Ai in healthcare is more tactical than strategic,' comments Hysenbelli, 'it is used to write emails, synthesise texts, search for data. But there is a lack of vision from above. And above all, there is a lack of women in the roles where these choices are made'. Only 30% of decision-makers in healthcare are women. And only 30% of the staff involved in the development of Ai are. A double gap that fuels the reproduction of bias.

'We tested concrete examples,' Catozzella explains, 'like asking ChatGpt to write a job offer for a hospital chief physician. Even in English, a male profile comes out. It is proof that the data used to train the algorithms reflect real stereotypes, and if women do not participate in the design of these tools, those biases will continue to reproduce themselves'.

The role of institutions and the training node

The lack of a national strategy is one of the nodes. "Public tenders for the digitisation of healthcare, until now, did not include elements related to Ai. This report aims to support institutions by providing data that can help in future decisions,' Catozzella explains.

The dialogue with the Ministry of Health has begun. 'There is full recognition of the problem,' he continues, 'and several activities have already begun, starting with the updating of the taxonomies of competences: the Ministry of Health recognises in Ai a central and strategic issue for reducing the administrative burden for health professionals and freeing up time for activities of greater clinical and management value, fostering people's professional growth.

Looking to the future: skills and sustainability

Healthcare is one of the sectors that will be most impacted by Ai, with an expected +85% according to Bcg's estimates. An impact along the entire chain: administration, supply chain, diagnostics, patient relations. 'It is estimated that in the next few years 50% of diagnostic images will be analysed by Ai,' Catozzella emphasises, 'and that two thirds of doctor-patient interactions will be manageable by automated agents. It is a revolution. And for this we need strategic vision and ethical governance'.

In this scenario, female leadership can represent not only an element of equity, but also a crucial resource. 'The goal,' concludes Hysenbelli, 'is to build a sustainable, humane and smart future. And to do that, we need skills, mentoring and the courage to lead change'.