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Technology · North America

Survey finds many AI health users trust chatbots over doctors

A Talker Research survey found that one in seven Americans trust AI chatbots as much as doctors. Among people using AI for health advice, 60% said they would believe it even when it conflicts with a healthcare provider’s guidance.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 2 outlets' reporting · Article text read from 1 of 2 outletsHow it's made

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2 outletsLatest reporting 3 min read
Coverage: Too few ratedL 0 · C 0 · R 1 · 1 unrated

What happened

Key facts

  • One in seven Americans surveyed said they trust AI chatbots as much as doctors (per New York Post).
  • Among people using AI for health purposes, trust in chatbots at the level of doctors was nearly five times as common as among nonusers (per New York Post).
  • Among health-related AI users, 60% said they would believe chatbot advice that conflicted with guidance from a healthcare provider (per New York Post).
  • Among health-related AI users, 63% said they had followed AI health advice without first checking with a healthcare provider (per New York Post).
  • Health-related AI users asked an average of nine health questions each week and cited convenient availability as a reason for using it (per New York Post).
  • Among respondents who use AI for health purposes, 80% said they would rely on AI to evaluate minor symptoms in their children (per New York Post).
  • Among respondents who use AI for health purposes, 71% said they would rely on it to determine what type of care their children need, and 71% said they would rely on it for medication guidance (per New York Post).

The brief

A Talker Research survey found that one in seven Americans trust AI chatbots as much as doctors. Among people using AI for health purposes, that level of trust was nearly five times as common as among people who do not use AI for health. The New York Post reported the findings, which describe respondents’ trust in chatbot advice and their reported use of it.

The survey included 1,000 millennial parents and 1,000 people from the general population. Among health-related AI users, 60% said they would believe advice generated by AI even if it conflicted with guidance from a healthcare provider. Another 63% said they had followed AI health advice without first checking it with a provider.

Those users asked an average of nine health questions each week and cited convenience and availability as reasons for turning to AI. The survey also asked about parents’ willingness to rely on AI for decisions concerning children’s health. Among respondents who use AI for health, 80% said they would rely on it to evaluate minor symptoms.

For decisions about what kind of care a child needs, 71% of those users said they would rely on AI; the same share said they would use it for medication guidance. These figures reflect respondents’ stated comfort with such uses, rather than a report of particular medical decisions or outcomes. The survey account also described the kinds of questions users bring to AI.

Thirty-eight percent said they describe symptoms and ask what might be wrong. About a third said they ask whether a symptom could relate to a condition they already suspect, while 32% said they ask whether a specific diagnosis could explain their experience.

The New York Post’s account identifies Talker Research as the survey source and reports these percentages as survey responses. It does not provide further detail about the survey’s methods or results beyond the figures and descriptions stated here.

ForkLog’s headline likewise describes the findings as showing high trust in AI health advice among Americans, without giving additional survey details.

Why it matters

  • Among health-related AI users, 60% said they would believe chatbot advice that conflicts with a healthcare provider’s guidance, a measure of how often users say they may favor AI advice in that situation.
  • The reported use goes beyond asking questions: 63% of health-related AI users said they had followed AI health advice without checking with a provider first.
  • Parents who use AI for health reported willingness to rely on it for children’s minor symptoms (80%), care decisions (71%) and medication guidance (71%).

What to watch next

  • Whether Talker Research publishes additional details about the survey’s methods or findings.
  • Whether future survey findings report changes in health-related AI users’ stated trust in chatbots.
  • Whether future findings describe how often users check AI health advice with healthcare providers.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
2 source articles · 2 unique outlets
Outlet political mix: Too few rated· 1 Right · 1 unrated
Where the outlets are based: US/Canada 50% · Unknown 50%
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Right
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0 outlets
1 outlet
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Where the outlets covering this story are based.
2 unique outletsDominant coverage: US/Canada
Limited coverage
  • Coverage is currently limited to 2 outlets.
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Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. In 1966, Joseph Weizenbaum created ELIZA at MIT, an early program that simulated conversation.
    Background · from our historical context
  2. Sam Altman, Greg Brockman and other co-founders launched OpenAI as a research organization.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  3. President Barack Obama signed the 21st Century Cures Act, which excluded some clinical decision-support software from the FDA device definition.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  4. In September 2022, the FDA issued guidance explaining how it would assess clinical decision-support software under that law.
    Background · from our historical context
  5. That guidance followed ChatGPT’s public launch on November 30, 2022, which brought a conversational generative-AI tool to a broad public audience.
    Background · from our historical context
  6. On January 18, 2024, the World Health Organization warned that large language models used in health could produce false or misleading information and urged oversight, transparency and evaluation.
    Background · from our historical context

How we got here

On January 18, 2024, the World Health Organization warned that large language models used in health could produce false or misleading information and urged oversight, transparency and evaluation. That guidance followed ChatGPT’s public launch on November 30, 2022, which brought a conversational generative-AI tool to a broad public audience.

The 21st Century Cures Act, signed December 13, 2016, excluded some clinical decision-support software from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s device definition when health professionals could independently review its basis. In September 2022, the FDA issued guidance explaining how it would assess clinical decision-support software under that law.

Original sources

2 articles from 2 outlets

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