‘A confident answer isn’t the same as a correct one’ — I asked medical experts whether you should use ChatGPT for health advice, and I was shocked by their answers

People are increasingly turning to ChatGPT and other AI tools for health advice. They’re using them to make sense of symptoms, decode medical letters, understand diagnoses, seek reassurance before appointments, and prepare questions for clinicians.

That shift isn’t surprising. People have always looked online for health information, but AI tools are different. They’re conversational, personalized, always available, and often sound confident in their answers. Many of the same factors driving interest in AI for therapy are now shaping how people use it for health.

But health use comes with real risks. I spoke to healthcare experts about how people are using AI tools, where they can be genuinely helpful, and where they may create confusion, false reassurance, or even harm.

How are ...