As soon as you—or someone in your family—experiences new health symptoms, chances are you turn to the internet. Whether it’s a mundane complaint like a sore throat with fever or something unusual that’s worrying you, Dr. Google is most people’s first stop.
In fact, millions of Americans use the internet daily for health information and online self-diagnosis. Now AI technology is changing not only how we use the internet for self-diagnosis, but also the risks it can involve.
“Even before AI, the trouble was sorting through all the health information we find online and trying to figure out what’s accurate and what’s not,” says Afaaq Siddiqui, M.D., a family medicine physician at Henry Ford Health. “With AI, that’s become both more important and more difficult.”
What Can AI Tell You About Your Health?
AI tools can provide you with vast amounts of information about your health, specific conditions and recommended treatments. “AI can be very useful for information gathering and education about a specific condition or medical treatment,” says Dr. Siddiqui.
The trick, as with all information found online, is learning how to spot what’s reliable versus so-called “AI hallucinations.” “There’s so much health misinformation on the internet in general, and it’s difficult to know if AI is pulling from that or from more reliable sources,” says Dr. Siddiqui.
“AI takes all the information and puts in a very intelligent-sounding summary for you,” he says. “Which is very helpful—unless it’s sharing incorrect information presented as facts.”
How Do AI Symptom Checkers Work?
One way that patients are using AI to manage their health is with AI symptom checkers. These online tools often use chatbots to communicate with users about the symptoms or health concerns they’re experiencing.
The use of AI symptom checkers is becoming more common. A recent poll found that about 1 in 6 adults report using them at least once a month to check on their health.
Patients aren’t the only ones turning to AI. Some medical professionals and healthcare companies are looking to AI to help deal with doctor shortages or the challenges of virtual care.
Don’t be surprised if, at some point, you’re prompted to run your symptoms by an AI chatbot prior to a doctor’s appointment. For some patients and practitioners, this step could help streamline appointments and maybe even improve care.
Doctors are already using AI to help speed their diagnosis of strokes and improve accuracy of breast cancer diagnosis.
The Risks of Relying on AI Diagnosis
The downside of using AI symptom checkers—especially without a doctor follow-up—is that you might move forward with treatment based on misinformation.
“AI uses the information it finds to give you a diagnosis and prescriptive advice,” says Dr. Siddiqui. “But if the information it’s pulling from is inaccurate from the start, it will give you the wrong advice.”
And even when AI is using reliable information to make its diagnosis and treatment, it’s still lacking the full picture of your unique needs.
“One of the problems with using AI to diagnose and give you treatment advice is that you’re just giving it random symptoms with no real context,” says Dr. Siddiqui. “Unlike your doctor, AI doesn’t know all about your family history, personal medical history, medications you’re taking, allergies, etc.”
Depending on what AI makes of the symptoms you share, the process can also leave you with false assurances or more anxiety.
When in Doubt, Talk to Your Doctor
Video Visits On Demand
For now, anyway, using AI should not replace professional medical advice or in-person physical exams and care.
Using AI before or after an appointment, however, can be helpful. “A great use for AI is to describe your symptoms or health concerns and ask it to generate a list of questions you should ask your doctor,” suggests Dr. Siddiqui. Doing so can help you go into a doctor’s appointment better educated and better prepared.
After seeing a doctor and getting a diagnosis and treatment plan, you may be able to use AI to summarize information into simpler language. This can help you understand the specifics of your diagnosis and what to expect from your doctor-prescribed treatment.
Using AI in partnership with your healthcare provider can enhance your experience of both. But you don’t want to rely on AI alone. “Medical care needs to be highly accurate,” warns Dr. Siddiqui. “Do you really want to trust AI with your high-risk health decisions?”
Reviewed by Afaaq Siddiqui, M.D., a family medicine provider who sees patients at Henry Ford Hospital and Henry Ford Medical Center - Beck Road.
