Using artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots to help seek medical advice can be "dangerous", a new study has found.
The research found that using AI to make medical decisions presented risks to patients, external, due to its "tendency to provide inaccurate and inconsistent information".
It was led by researchers from the Oxford Internet Institute and the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford, and published in the scientific journal Nature Medicine.
Dr Rebecca Payne, who co-authored the study, said it found that "despite all the hype, AI just isn't ready to take on the role of the physician".
"Patients need to be aware that asking a large language model about their symptoms can be dangerous, giving wrong diagnoses and failing to recognise when urgent help is needed," Dr Payne, who is also a GP, added.
"These findings highlight the difficulty of building AI systems that can genuinely support people in sensitive, high-stakes areas like health," Dr Payne said.
Source: BBC News, 10 February 2026
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