UnitedHealth’s $3 Billion AI Push Has Bots Calling Doctors

At UnitedHealth Group Inc., artificial intelligence reads aloud summaries of medical charts as nurses drive to patients’ homes. It listens to millions of customer calls to find the causes of complaints. One trial even has AI agents calling doctors’ offices to schedule appointments for patients.

The largest US health insurer plans to invest $3 billion in AI over 2026 and 2027. UnitedHealth executives say they’re seeing a 2-to-1 return, as AI automates cumbersome manual processes and makes workers more efficient. Executives say the technology can reduce friction for patients while lowering costs.

There’s a lot riding on them being ...