Nearly one in four American adults have used artificial intelligence tools for health advice in the past month, according to a Gallup poll published on Wednesday. The survey, conducted in late 2025, aligns with several other recent polls indicating a growing reliance on AI for medical information.
Users like Tiffany Davis, 42, from Mesquite, Texas, consult ChatGPT for guidance on symptoms related to weight-loss injections. 'I'll just basically let ChatGPT know my status, how I'm feeling,' she said. Similarly, Rakesia Wilson, 39, an assistant principal in Alabama, uses AI to interpret lab results and decide whether a doctor's visit is necessary. 'I just don't necessarily have the time if it's something that I feel is minor,' she explained.
The poll found that about seven in ten users seek quick answers, additional information, or are simply curious. Many use AI before or after seeing a doctor. However, a significant minority turn to AI because of barriers to professional care: roughly four in ten wanted help outside business hours, three in ten wanted to avoid the cost of a visit, and two in ten felt ignored or embarrassed to speak to a provider.
Dr Karandeep Singh, chief health AI officer at the University of California San Diego Health, views AI as an upgraded version of online health searches. 'Instead of someone having to comb through the top 10, 20, 30 links, they can now have an executive summary,' he said. Despite the convenience, trust remains mixed: only about a third of recent AI users strongly or somewhat trust the accuracy of the information, while another third distrust it.
Dr Bobby Mukkamala, an otolaryngologist and president of the American Medical Association, welcomes patients who arrive with more informed questions after using AI. Yet experts caution that chatbots can generate false information. The trend persists even as four in five Americans still see a healthcare provider in person, according to a separate KFF survey.
