Patients are increasingly turning to AI chatbots for health information, driven by long wait times, high healthcare costs and dissatisfaction with clinical interactions, The New York Times reported Nov. 16.
About 17% of adults said they use AI chatbots at least once a month for health information and advice, according to a 2024 KFF poll. This figure increased to 25% among adults under age 30.
The Times interviewed dozens of patients about their chatbot use, many of whom reported the technology as a more responsive and accessible alternative to their physicians.
“ChatGPT has all day for me — it never rushes me out of the chat,” Jennifer Tucker, a Wisconsin resident, told the Times.
Patients told the publication they use ChatGPT to interpret symptoms, explain lab results or guide treatment, influencing both their health decisions and interactions with clinicians.
While chatbots can help improve patients’ health literacy and access to timely information, researchers warn that the tools can generate incorrect, overly confident or clinically unsafe advice.
A preprint study from Oxford University found that users rarely made a correct diagnosis or identified appropriate next steps when using ChatGPT to assess symptoms. The study has not yet been peer reviewed.
