Three in five Brits now use AI to self-diagnose. That should worry us, and reassure us

There is a kind of worry that arrives at 3am. One thought becomes five, five become 17, and suddenly you’re diagnosing yourself with something you hadn’t even heard of yesterday. Sleep is out of the question, so you reach for your phone, hoping to find an explanation that will let you to get back to sleep.

I’m 51, lift weights and go to the gym at least three times a week. I try to look after myself, although my perimenopausal body sometimes has other ideas. When something feels wrong, I want to understand why immediately. I don’t necessarily need to receive a diagnosis, but find somewhere to start without feeling embarrassed or foolish. Artificial intelligence offers exactly that. It answers immediately, never sounds irritated and doesn’t mind another question. Unfortunately, being available definitely doesn’t make it medically qualified.

AI offers answers without appointments, telephone queues or awkward conversations. But there’s a big difference between getting an answer and getting the right medical advice.

Getting medical advice isn’t always easy. My GP surgery uses an online system where I describe my symptoms and answer questions before anyone decides what happens next. It reminds me of those children’s adventure books where you choose the ending. Turn to page 35 for one outcome, page 68 for another. Except choosing the wrong route when you’re worried about your health isn’t as entertaining.

Sometimes the system works, but then at others the questions don’t fit what I’m trying to explain. Then comes the wait for a callback, which usually arrives during a Teams meeting. Meanwhile, I’m wondering whether to try again tomorrow or hope the problem just disappears overnight. Compare that with AI. No appointments, no telephone queues and no explaining your symptoms to three different people. You just get an answer that sounds confident, whether it’s correct or not.

Research commissioned by Confused.com found that 42% of respondents who use AI for health-related purposes cited getting information faster than waiting for a doctor’s appointment as a reason. That doesn’t prove NHS waiting times are driving everyone towards AI, but it does suggest speed matters. I can understand that. When you’re worried about your health, waiting for an answer can feel much longer than it really is.

The Confused.com research, conducted among 2,000 UK adults in November 2025, found that 59% reported using AI for health-related purposes. Among those using the technology, 63% reported checking symptoms, 50% investigated side effects and 38% sought lifestyle advice. The findings suggest AI is becoming another place people turn when they have questions about their bodies.

For women in midlife, symptoms can be particularly difficult to untangle. Fatigue might involve hormones, poor sleep, iron deficiency or stress. Throw work, children, ageing parents and household responsibilities into the equation, and even finding time to investigate becomes another job. I’ve often wondered whether something is perimenopause or just the consequences of trying to do everything at the same time. Having somewhere to ask questions can feel helpful when you’re struggling to work out which symptoms are important.

I don’t think using AI for health information automatically makes someone irresponsible. There are perfectly reasonable reasons to ask questions. You might want to understand medical terminology, prepare for an appointment or work out how to explain symptoms you’ve struggled to describe. For me, its greatest advantage is helping organise my thoughts before speaking to someone qualified. Sometimes I just want to understand enough about a problem to have a conversation with my GP.

But there are limitations. A chatbot cannot examine me, assess my physical condition or establish what’s happening through appropriate clinical tests. It can misunderstand symptoms, overlook important information or offer reassurance when medical attention is necessary. There’s also the risk of feeding anxiety. One question leads to another until you’ve constructed an entire medical history around something that might have a fairly ordinary explanation.

And what happens to the information we’re sharing? Medical histories, symptoms and medication details are sensitive. Before entering them into any AI service, we should really understand how that information might be stored or used. Convenience shouldn’t mean abandoning common sense or privacy when we’re discussing details we might hesitate to share with another person.

We hear plenty about whether artificial intelligence will eventually replace healthcare professionals. I’m more interested in what happens before someone gets to see one. The NHS provides care that many of us value enormously, but accessing that care can still involve frustrating delays. I don’t expect a GP to answer my questions at 3am. I do, however, want a straightforward route to professional advice when I need it.

AI can help someone prepare questions or understand information, but it shouldn’t determine whether they seek urgent care. And a reassuring response shouldn’t ever override symptoms that need medical assessment. There’s a big difference between understanding what a symptom might mean and knowing what’s causing it. The technology might help us become better informed patients, but it can’t take responsibility for our treatment.

The strangest part is how we treat our children’s relationship with technology. We complain about excessive screen time, gaming and children reaching for devices instead of engaging with people. Yet when we’re frightened or uncertain, many of us do the same. The difference is that our questions sound more grown-up, and we can totally justify our screen time as something useful rather than entertainment.

At 3am, I might ask a machine to help make sense of something worrying me. By morning, though, I’d still rather speak to a healthcare professional who can listen, examine me and take responsibility for clinical decisions. Technology has its uses, but there’s something slightly unsettling about telling our children to put their screens away while asking ours whether we’re going to be all right.

Research: Confused.com, survey of 2,000 UK adults conducted by OnePoll in November 2025. Figures are reported from the commissioned research and should be read in the context of the survey’s questions and respondent groups.

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