Millions of Americans are talking to AI about health, and some are dangerously skipping real doctors

Google used to be the go-to service for people who wanted to learn about their health conditions. The tide has been slowly shifting with more and more users turning to AI for their health-related queries. 

According to new research from the West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America, about one in four US adults has used an AI tool or chatbot for health-related information or advice. The findings are based on a nationally representative survey of more than 5,500 adults conducted between October and December 2025.

The good news is that most people aren’t replacing their doctors with chatbots. More than half of AI health users say they use it to supplement their care, either doing their own research before a visit or making sense of what their doctor told them after.

So why are people turning to AI for health questions?

Speed and curiosity are the two biggest reasons why people are turning to AI for their health-related questions. According to the survey, among people who used AI for health advice, 71% said they wanted quick answers, and another 71% wanted additional information. About 67% were simply curious what AI would say.

That said, not everyone using AI for health is doing so by choice. Among recent users, 27% said they turned to AI because they didn’t want to pay for a doctor’s visit, and 14% said they couldn’t afford one at all.

Do people trust AI for health information?

Trust in AI health information is split almost perfectly in three. About a third of recent users trust it, a third are neutral, and a third distrust it. 4% strongly trust it, and about 11% said AI actually gave them advice they believed was unsafe.

4% might seem like a small number, but scale it up, and you will realize that a few million people are completely trusting AI for their health, and that’s not a good outcome. 

What should be done about it?

It’s clear that you cannot apply a blanket rule to stop people from using AI to get health advice. If the survey gives us any indication, it’s that we need to improve health care coverage and accessibility to doctors, so people don’t have to rely on alternative means. 

AI companies also have to play a big role here, ensuring that they mark each health-related reply with a disclaimer to see doctors. Services like Perplexity Health and Copilot Health should become mainstream so that people at least rely on AI systems specifically trained to provide accurate health guidance.