As More People Turn to Chatbots for Health Advice, Studies Say They May be Led Astray

As more people turn to AI chatbots for health advice, new studies published in the journal Nature Medicine suggest the technology may not reliably guide medical decision-making.

Researchers found chatbots correctly identified health conditions less than half the time in simulated patient scenarios and sometimes failed to signal appropriate urgency for potentially life-threatening symptoms.

While experts note that AI can still improve access to health information—particularly when medical care is difficult to obtain—the findings highlight ongoing challenges in how people communicate symptoms and how AI interprets them. Read the full article from NPR here.