About one-third of adults are turning to artificial intelligence for health information and advice. Although AI use is on par with the share who say they turn to social media for health information, it still lags behind the number saying they have sought health information from health care providers and internet search engines.
"People report using AI for health information in various ways but most commonly to look for general information about health conditions or symptoms," according to the latest KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust. "About a quarter of adults used AI for physical health questions in the past year and say they did so to look up symptoms or general information about health conditions."
Sixteen percent of respondents used AI for mental health information or advice during the same time period, with larger shares of younger, uninsured, Black and Hispanic adults turning to AI chatbots for mental health advice: About 3 in 19 of those ages 18 to 29 say they have used AI for information about their mental health or emotional wellbeing in the past year, compared to about 18% of adults ages 30 to 49 and about 1 in 10 of those ages 50 and older. Uninsured adults are more likely than insured adults to say they have relied on AI for mental health advice (30% vs. 14%), as are Black (21%) and Hispanic (19%) adults compared to white adults (12%).
Sixty-five percent say a desire for quick and immediate advice was a "major reason" for using AI to find health information. Others cite wanting to look up information before seeing a provider (41%) or feeling more comfortable looking up health questions privately (36%).
Difficulty accessing or affording care also is driving some to rely on AI for health information, particularly younger and lower-income users. About one in five AI health users cite not having a health care provider or not being able to get an appointment as a major reason they used AI for health advice. This share rises to 4 in 10 among users ages 18 to 29. Another 1 in 5 users say difficulty affording health care was a major reason they relied on AI for health advice, rising to 29% among users ages 18 to 29 and 32% among those with annual incomes of less than $40,000.
Three-quarters of adults say they are concerned about the privacy of personal medical information provided to AI tools, including similar majorities across age groups and those who use AI for health information. Despite these privacy concerns, about 4 in 10 of those who have used AI for physical or mental health say they have uploaded personal medical information into an AI tool or chatbot.
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