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PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – Artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare applications leads ECRI’s annual report on the most pressing health technology risks for 2025. ECRI, a global nonprofit dedicated to healthcare safety, warns that AI holds immense promise for improving efficiency and outcomes but also introduces significant risks that demand careful management.
ECRI’s Top 10 Health Technology Hazards report identifies key threats to patient care and offers strategies to mitigate these risks. AI, now widely used across healthcare—from diagnosis and documentation to scheduling—poses unique challenges. Systems can deliver false or misleading results, amplify biases in underlying data, and produce inconsistent outcomes across diverse populations. Such risks are particularly concerning for historically marginalized communities.
“The promise of AI must not overshadow its risks,” said Marcus Schabacker, MD, PhD, ECRI’s president and CEO. “Balancing AI innovation with privacy and safety is one of modern medicine’s greatest challenges.”
The 2025 report also highlights home care setting risks, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and counterfeit medical products.
The Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2025 are:
1. Risks with AI-enabled health technologies
2. Unmet technology support needs for home care patients
3. Vulnerable technology vendors and cybersecurity threats
4. Substandard or counterfeit medical devices and supplies
5. Fire risk from supplemental oxygen
6. Dangerously low default alarm limits on anesthesia units
7. Mishandled temporary holds on medication orders
8. Poorly managed infusion lines
9. Harmful medical adhesive products
10. Incomplete investigations of infusion system incidents
