More than 15% of the UK public have used AI chatbots for health advice instead of seeing their GP or another NHS service, according to a study by King’s College London.
In the study over 2,000 people were interviewed about their attitudes towards AI in healthcare – both its personal use and its role in clinical settings.
While 15% said they had used AI chatbots for health advice, one in 10 (10%) said they had used them for mental health support instead of seeing a trained professional.
The most common reasons people give for turning to AI chatbots is convenience (46%), curiosity (45%) and uncertainty about whether their concern was serious enough to contact a GP (39%). A quarter (25%) said they did so because they were waiting too long for NHS services.
Among those who have used AI for health advice, 20% said the technology did not encourage them to seek a professional opinion and 23% said they decided against seeking professional healthcare advice because of something an AI chatbot said...