One in seven Brits swapped their GP for ChatGPT, study finds

AI + ML

Patients are using chatbots for medical advice, while the NHS is still debating where AI belongs

Brits are now asking chatbots about mysterious lumps and weird rashes instead of calling their GP, which is probably not the digital healthcare revolution anybody meant to build.

A new study from King’s College London found that one in seven people in the UK have used AI instead of contacting a doctor or healthcare service, while one in ten said they had turned to chatbots rather than professional mental health support.

Convenience was the biggest reason, cited by 46 percent of respondents, closely followed by curiosity at 45 percent. Another 39 percent said they used AI because they were unsure whether their symptoms were serious enough to bother a GP in the first place. 

The report, based on a survey of more than 2,000 adults, suggests that AI systems are quietly becoming Britain’s unofficial second-opinion service while regulators are still arguing about what counts as “AI-enabled healthcare” in the first place.

However, some respondents said the chatbot conversations ended up replacing medical care altogether. Around one in five respondents said chatbot advice discouraged them from seeking professional help, and 21 percent said they skipped contacting a healthcare provider because of something the AI told them.

Public confidence in AI healthcare also looks shaky. The survey found Britons are almost perfectly split on whether AI should be involved in clinical decision-making, with 37 percent supporting its use and 38 percent opposing it.

Safety and accuracy worries topped the list of public concerns about NHS AI use. Women, in particular, were less comfortable with the idea than men, and far more likely to say patients should be told when AI is involved in their care.

Oddly, younger adults were among the most skeptical. Nearly half of 18 to 24-year-olds opposed clinical AI use, compared with 36 percent of people over 65.

The public also appears to think AI has already taken over GP surgeries to a much greater extent than is the case. Respondents guessed that around 39 percent of GPs use AI in clinical decision-making, when the actual figure is closer to 8 percent.

Professor Graham Lord, executive director at King’s Health Partners, warned that responsibility for AI mistakes often lands on clinicians even when they have little control over the systems being deployed.

“When something goes wrong with AI, responsibility is often placed on clinicians, even where they have limited control over how AI tools are introduced,” Lord said.

Which sounds suspiciously like someone in healthcare has already seen the incoming paperwork. ®