Veterinary surveys show AI gains, even as staffing strain persists

Veterinary practices are adopting digital tools faster than many expected, even as workforce strain still shapes daily operations. New 2026 surveys from Instinct Science found that nearly half of general practices are already using AI in some form, with documentation and diagnostic support leading the way, while 91% of general practices said they implemented new technology in the past year. At the same time, the surveys found a clear shift in workplace structure: fewer than 10% of general practices still use a traditional full-time, fixed schedule, while part-time roles and four-day workweeks are becoming more common. In specialty, emergency, and urgent care settings, staffing shortages remained the top challenge, cited by 85% of respondents, even though more than half said they hired additional full-time team members in 2025. Broader industry reporting suggests the shift is not just about adoption, but about how practices manage it: AAHA and Digitail previously found 83% of veterinary professionals were familiar with AI and 39% were already using it, yet 70% had reliability concerns and 43% said they lacked proper training, underscoring the need for clearer governance as AI becomes more embedded in clinic workflows. (globenewswire.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the takeaway isn't simply that AI is arriving, it's that technology is being pulled into practice by operational pressure. Instinct reported that nearly three-quarters of general-practice AI users said the tools made them more efficient, and specialty and emergency respondents linked new technology to gains in efficiency, patient care, and error reduction. That aligns with broader industry data: the AVMA's 2025 economic report found 76.5% of practices already had practice management software in place in 2024, but owners who felt behind on technology most often cited time and cost barriers, suggesting adoption is uneven and still constrained by implementation capacity. Other reporting points to a second challenge beyond buying software: deciding who owns AI oversight, staff training, and workflow updates as tools change quickly. (globenewswire.com)

What to watch: Expect the next phase of this trend to focus less on whether practices use AI and more on which tools measurably improve retention, workflow, client communication, and margin without adding new training burdens. Watch, too, for more clinics to formalize AI responsibility internally — whether through a designated champion, coordinator, or governance process — as adoption moves from experimentation to routine use. (globenewswire.com)