The trend: A new consumer survey looks at how people feel about using AI health tools for medical guidance under ideal conditions.

Fullspan Health surveyed more than 2,000 US adults after showing them an AI-powered health guide built by board-certified doctors with quick connections to appointments and prescriptions, and rigorous privacy protection.

• Even under those ideal conditions, only 38% were interested in using the optimal AI product to figure out the cause of new symptoms and determine next steps.
• 27% wanted to use it to help manage an ongoing health condition.
• 20% were interested in using the AI tool to be more proactive about health and medical care.
• 15% would like to use it at key medical decision points.

Why it matters: The findings are less a readout on real-world AI tools and more a window into what patients say they would do with AI health tech if it meets their high bar for trust and safety.

• The survey suggests interest and even demand for AI support, but only if clinically sound, transparent, privacy-secure, and supervised.
• Among the 38% who would use the optimized AI for new symptom research, 60% valued its ability to recommend whether they should seek immediate care, schedule delayed care, or manage symptoms at home.
• 53% said it would be helpful to bring the AI tool’s explanations about their symptoms to their doctor.

In practice, consumers are using AI for more informational health purposes, per a May 2025 survey by The Vitamin Shoppe and Talker Research.

• 31% of US adults have used AI tools to learn about specific medical conditions.
• 24% have used it to fact-check health information.
• 22% for individualized nutrition advice.

Implications for healthcare and AI players: The study sets an aspirational, but demanding benchmark. If healthcare and AI players can build tools similar to the “optimal” system, it could drive patient interest. However, the more accurate takeaway is not that consumers are ready to turn over medical decisions to chatbots, but that high standards of medical validation, privacy, relevancy, and accuracy will determine if AI in healthcare lives up to its promise.

This content is part of EMARKETER’s subscription Briefings, where we pair daily updates with data and analysis from forecasts and research reports. Our Briefings prepare you to start your day informed, to provide critical insights in an important meeting, and to understand the context of what’s happening in your industry. Not a subscriber? Click here to get a demo of our full platform and coverage.