186.2 million Americans are turning to AI for medical advice, and in some cases, trusting chatbots before consulting a doctor, according to a new study from healthcare staffing platform Nursa.
Study highlights:
Floridians are among the most likely to turn to AI instead of a doctor, with Miami and Jacksonville among the top U.S. cities for AI health use.
More than half of Americans (54.34%) have used AI to assess medical symptoms or health concerns, equating to 186.2 million Americans
Cold and flu symptoms are the most common reasons to seek AI help (37.66% of people turned to AI)
Jacksonville, Florida, ranked among the most likely to replace their doctor with AI, placing 13th.
57.4% of residents here have consulted with AI with health concerns or symptoms before, and 48.9% of Jacksonville residents would use AI to check medical symptoms before deciding whether to see a doctor.
A staggering 51.1% of people in Jacksonville do trust AI health advice.
Miami lands as the eighteenth most likely to replace their doctor with AI.
54.8% of residents having used AI for health advice and only 48.4% trusting AI health advice.
Overall, 53.2% of Americans say they would trust AI-generated medical advice at least “a fair amount,” including 12.0% who say they would trust it “a great deal.”
Younger adults again report the highest trust levels, with 76.5% of adults aged 18–24 expressing trust in AI medical advice, compared to just 37.4% among adults aged 55 and older.
Despite growing openness to AI healthcare tools, distrust remains widespread nationally. Four in ten Americans (40.3%) say they would not trust AI-generated medical advice, including nearly one in five (19.9%) who say they would not trust it at all.
Half of Americans (50.1%) say they would be likely to use AI to check medical symptoms before deciding whether to see a doctor, including nearly one in five (19.2%) who say they would be “very likely” to do so.
Younger Americans are significantly more receptive to AI-assisted symptom checking than older generations. Nearly three-quarters (74.8%) of adults aged 18–24 say they would likely use AI in this way, compared to just 32.8% of adults aged 55 and older.
The most commonly reported health concerns that respondents entrust turning to AI for include cold or flu symptoms (37.7%), medication side effects or interactions (36.9%), stomach or digestive issues (32.5%), sleep issues (31.5%), and headaches or migraines (31.3%).
The survey found respondents are less likely to consult AI about children’s symptoms, sexual health concerns and mental health issues.
Most Americans still use AI as a supplement – not a replacement
Following initial AI assessment, more than one-third of respondents (36.6%) say they monitored symptoms themselves without seeking medical care after using AI, while a nearly identical share (36.4%) say the AI interaction reassured them that the issue was not serious. Nearly three in ten (28.5%) report taking medication or treatment at home.
