"Despite all the hype, AI just isn't ready to take on the role of the physician," study co-author Rebecca Payne from Oxford University said. People using the AI chatbots were only able to identify their health problem around a third of the time, while only around 45% figured out the right course of action. Communication breakdownThe researchers pointed out the disparity between these disappointing results and how AI chatbots score extremely highly on medical benchmarks and exams, blaming the gap on a communication breakdown. Unlike the simulated patient interactions often used to test AI, the real humans often did not give the chatbots all the relevant information. One out of every six US adults ask AI chatbots about health information at least once a month, the researchers said, with that number expected to increase as more people adopt the new technology.

Source: Bangkok Post February 10, 2026 02:05 UTC