The trend: Approximately 35% of US adults report using AI tools to learn about and manage aspects of their health and wellness, according to a recent study conducted by The Vitamin Shoppe and Talker Research. Another 27% who don’t use AI as a health information tool said they'd consider doing so. 2,000 US adults were surveyed in May 2025.

How consumers are using AI for health: AI users turn to the tech to gain better insights about their health as well as for personalized guidance.

• Learning about specific medical conditions or issues was the top use case, cited by 31% of people who use AI for health purposes.
• 24% have used AI to create a weight loss plan.
• 24% use AI to fact-check health information from other sources (e.g., media, social media, health professionals, family, and friends).
• Nearly one-quarter (23%) use AI to explore exercise routines they haven’t heard of, to get customized workout regimens, and for individualized nutrition advice (22%).

Yes, and: 32% of current and potential users of AI for health information cited the tech’s ability to give them ideas or approaches they otherwise wouldn’t have tried. A similar amount (31%) noted it’s easier to prompt AI with specific questions than to conduct detailed queries via online search engines.

Going deeper: Respondents said they trust AI for health information more than they trust social media health content, but less than advice from medical experts.

• 93% trust their doctor for medical advice at least somewhat.
• 63% find AI to be at least somewhat trustworthy for health information and guidance.
• 43% say the same about health content seen on social media.
• 41% trust health information from influencers.

What it means for healthcare and pharma brands: AI is emerging as a valuable tool for precise health queries that traditional search engines or medical information sites like Healthline and WebMD aren’t as well-equipped to address.

We see rising consumer trust in AI over social media for health guidance as a key trend for healthcare and pharma marketers to watch. Brands in this sector were extremely slow to embrace social media, but have come around in recent years by creating more health content for platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and X, while partnering with social media influencers who post videos on TikTok and Instagram. Marketers knew they had no choice, given how much time people spend on social media platforms.

As more people grow to trust AI for health information, they may move away from social media and influencer-driven health content that they have never found very reliable. Consumers will increasingly value AI that links to verifiable medical sources over social videos that often lack accountability. Healthcare and pharma marketers shouldn’t make any drastic pivot away from social media, but should closely track shifts in how consumers engage with social and influencer health content.