Share to ClassroomAI Health Advice Worries Doctors
A new study in the United Kingdom found that one in seven people prefer to ask AI (artificial intelligence) chatbots about their health instead of seeing a doctor. Researchers at King's College London asked more than 2,000 people. About 15% said they had used chatbots like ChatGPT. Many said long waiting times in the UK's public health service made them turn to AI.
AI chatbots feel useful because they are free and always ready. But they can be wrong. One young woman said her chatbot correctly told her to visit a pharmacist— a shop that sells medicine. But another time, it wrongly said she had a serious injury and sent her to hospital. Oxford researchers found chatbots are 95% correct in tests. But in real chats, they are only 35% correct. England's top doctor said AI often gives confident and wrong answers.
Doctors say people should be careful. A senior UK doctor said the trend is very worrying. AI can not examine a patient, notice small signs, or check a person's full health history. She told people to use trusted health websites and speak to a real doctor when sick. OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, said its tool should give information, not replace a doctor. Researchers warn that AI is creating a new health system with no rules.
