Frustrated by US medical system, patients turn to AI

Driven in part by frustrations with the medical system, more and more Americans are seeking advice from artificial intelligence.

In 2024, about one in six adults – and about a quarter of adults under 30 – used chatbots to find health information at least once a month, according to a survey from KFF, a health policy research group.

Those numbers are probably higher now, said Ms Liz Hamel, who directs survey research at the group.

In dozens of interviews, Americans described using chatbots to try to compensate for the health system’s shortcomings.

A self-employed woman in Wisconsin routinely asked ChatGPT whether it was safe to forgo expensive appointments.

A writer in rural Virginia used ChatGPT to navigate surgical recovery in the weeks before a doctor could see her.

A psychologist in Georgia sought answers after her providers brushed off concerns about a side effect of her cancer treatment.

Some know that AI can get things wrong. But they appreciate that it is available at all hours, charges next to nothing and makes them feel seen with convincing impressions of empathy.

“All of us now are starting to put so much stock in this that it’s a little bit worrisome,” said Mr Rick Bisaccia, 70, of Ojai, California. “But it’s very addicting because it presents itself as being so sure of itself.”

Chatbots routinely suggest diagnoses, interpret lab results and advise on treatment, even offering scripts to help persuade doctors to follow AI-generated treatment plans.

But AI is not well suited for the kinds of questions it is often asked. Somewhat counterintuitively, chatbots may excel at solving difficult diagnostic quandaries, but they often struggle with basic health decisions, like whether to stop taking blood thinners before surgery.

Representatives for OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, and for Microsoft, which makes Copilot, said the companies take the accuracy of health information seriously and are working with medical experts to improve responses.

For all the limitations, it is not hard to understand why people are turning to chatbots, said Dr Robert Wachter, chair of the department of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

Americans sometimes wait months to see a specialist, pay hundreds of dollars per visit and feel that their concerns are not taken seriously.

“If the system worked, the need for these tools would be far less,” Dr Wachter said. “But in many cases, the alternative is either bad or nothing.” NYTIMES