Artificial Intelligence

1 in 7 UK Adults Use AI Chatbots Over NHS GPs

Are chatbots a dangerous threat to health care, a vital fix for a broken system or are they causing deeper neurological damage?

Published MAY 14

1 in 7 UK Adults Use AI Chatbots Over NHS GPs

Story

Above: A mobile phone displays the welcome screen to the ChatGPT app. Image credit: Gareth Fuller/PA Images/Getty Images

The Facts

A U.K. study of more than 2,000 adults published on Wednesday found that one in seven people (15%) have used AI chatbots for health advice instead of contacting a General Practitioner (GP) or using a National Health Service (NHS) service, with a quarter of those citing long NHS waiting lists as their reason.
OZ Arab Media
guardian
Of those who sought health advice from AI, 20% said the technology did not encourage them to seek a professional opinion, and 21% said they decided against consulting a health care professional based on something an AI chatbot told them.
King's Health Partners
ResearchLive
Public opinion on AI use in clinical decision-making is nearly evenly split, with 37% in favor and 38% opposed. Those aged 18 to 24 showed the highest opposition at 49%, compared with 36% among those aged 65 and over.
King's College London
guardian
Three-quarters of respondents (76%) said AI tools used in patient care should be officially approved and regulated, even if this slows adoption. The U.K. currently has no single regulatory framework governing AI in health care.
OZ Arab Media
King's Health Partners
The public overestimates AI use by GPs, guessing on average that 39% use it in clinical decision-making, when the actual figure is 8%. The top emotion about NHS AI use was anxiety over safety and accuracy, cited by 39% of respondents.
King's College London
ResearchLive
Women are more likely than men to oppose AI in clinical decision-making (46% vs. 30%) and to feel anxious about its use in clinical settings (46% vs. 31%). If AI missed a health problem in a clinical image, 34% would hold the treating doctor responsible, while just 6% would blame the AI developer.
guardian
King's Health Partners

Sources Split

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The Spin

Techno-skeptic narrative

While using chatbots for simple advice is okay, they're quietly becoming an unregulated health care system that runs parallel to the NHS. A fifth of people who used chatbots for health advice said the technology didn't push them toward professional care, and some skipped appointments entirely based on what AI told them. These tools can't examine patients, often miss critical context and have been known to spread outright misinformation.

Mayo Clinic

guardian

Techno-optimist narrative

The real issue isn't AI itself, but that the NHS access is so broken that people are forced to find workarounds. Smart Triage tools are already cutting phone wait times to under a minute and letting doctors handle multiple cases in a single slot. When AI is designed thoughtfully and paired with human support, it genuinely improves access rather than replacing the care people deserve.

BBC News

Rory's Always On Newsletter on Substack

Cynical narrative

The deeper problem is that AI trains people to stop thinking for themselves. Researchers are already warning about “cognitive atrophy” and addictive behavior as users become dependent on chatbots for companionship, answers and decision-making instead of real-world relationships, experts or critical thought. These systems are designed to give people exactly what they want with minimal effort, creating a habit of outsourcing judgment, creativity and even basic reasoning to machines.

Harvard Gazette