Nearly 3 in 4 older Americans don’t trust AI for health information

[Craig Nigrelli]

AS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE GETS SMARTER – IT’S BEING USED FOR MORE AND MORE PURPOSES EVERY DAY… INCLUDING HEALTH CARE.

AND WHILE MANY PEOPLE TURN TO THE WEB FOR HEALTH INFORMATION… SOME ARE LESS LIKELY TO TRUST WHAT THEY FIND THAN OTHERS – ESPECIALLY WHEN THE INFO IS A-I GENERATED.

NEARLY THREE OUT OF FOUR ADULTS (74%) OLDER THAN 50 SAY THEY HAVE LITTLE TO NO TRUST IN A-I GENERATED HEALTH INFORMATION, ACCORDING TO A NEW UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN POLL.

HOWEVER, MORE THAN HALF (58%) OF ADULTS OVER 50 SAY THEY *HAVE* LOOKED FOR HEALTH INFORMATION ON THE WEB OVER THE PAST YEAR.

THOSE SURVEYED WERE ASKED IF THEY THINK THEY’RE ABLE TO FIND AND IDENTIFY ACCURATE HEALTH INFORMATION – 20 PERCENT DIDN’T THINK THEY’D BE ABLE TO SPOT MISINFORMATION.

BUT – A THIRD OF RESPONDENTS WHO DID LOOK ONLINE FOR ANSWERS *DID* SAY IT WAS EASY FOR THEM TO FIND ACCURATE HEALTH INFORMATION.

THE SURVEY ALSO FOUND TRUST IN A-I-GENERATED INFORMATION WAS DIFFERENT BASED ON DEMOGRAPHICS.

RESEARCHERS FOUND WOMEN… THOSE WITH LESS EDUCATION OR LOWER HOUSEHOLD INCOME… AND THOSE WHO HADN’T BEEN TO THE DOCTOR I THE PAST YEAR WERE EVEN LESS LIKELY TO TRUST THE A-I GENERATED HEALTH INFORMATION THEY FOUND ONLINE.