The number of people using AI to search for medical information is likely to continue to increase - Photo: FREEPIK
Overall, generative AI tools have great potential to help people learn about their health. But the answers won’t always be accurate.
Who uses AI to search for medical information?
Generative AI is still a relatively new technology and is constantly changing. Research published by The Conversation looked at data from Australia on people using ChatGPT to search for health information.
In June 2024, a team from the University of Sydney (Australia) surveyed a nationally representative sample of more than 2,000 people to find out whether they had used ChatGPT to search for health information. 9.9% of respondents said they had searched for health information on ChatGPT in the first half of 2024. On average, they said they trusted ChatGPT "quite a bit".
The team also found that the proportion of people using ChatGPT to search for health information was higher among those with low health literacy, those born in a non-English speaking country, or those who speak another language at home.
This suggests that ChatGPT may be helping people in Australia who have difficulty accessing traditional health information sources. The most common questions people asked ChatGPT included learning about a medical condition (48%), explaining the meaning of symptoms (37%), asking about what to do (36%), and understanding medical terminology (35%).
More than half of participants (61%) asked at least one question that required clinical advice, which the research team classified as “higher risk.” ChatGPT can help with a preliminary understanding of symptoms, but is not a substitute for medical advice from a doctor.
People born in non-English speaking countries or who speak another language at home tend to ask more “higher risk” questions.
AI users searching for health information continue to rise
The number of people using generative AI to find health information is likely to continue to grow. In the study, 39% of people who had not used ChatGPT for health research said they were likely to do so in the next six months.
The overall figure could be even higher, if other AI tools like Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and Meta AI are included.
Notably, the study found that people from multicultural and multilingual communities were more likely to use ChatGPT to search for health information.
If they use ChatGPT to translate medical information, this adds another layer of complexity. Generative AI tools often have lower accuracy when working in languages other than English.
Generative AI is becoming increasingly popular, bringing both opportunities and risks. On the one hand, the technology is appealing to people who already have difficulty accessing healthcare and medical information. One of the biggest benefits of AI is its ability to provide medical information instantly in easy-to-understand language.
A recent study found that generative AI tools are increasingly able to answer general medical questions in plain language.
This is beneficial because much of today's medical information is written at a level of complexity that is beyond the public's ability to understand, even during a pandemic. However, AI's accuracy will be lower for complex medical topics.
Source: http://tuoitre.vn/tai-sao-ngay-cang-nhieu-nguoi-tim-loi-khuyen-y-te-tu-ai-2025022719001062.htm
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