34% of U.S. Adults Now Use AI Chatbots for Health Information, Pew Research Finds

My take: A new Pew Research report published this week finds that 34% of U.S. adults already use AI chatbots for at least one health-related task. The reasons are straightforward: getting quick information (28%), understanding potential symptoms (25%), and avoiding the cost of a visit for basic questions (22%).

What stands out is the gap between perceived usefulness and trust. Nearly half of users (47%) find the answers very or extremely helpful, yet only 29% feel comfortable sharing personal health data with these tools. And on mental health, most Americans believe chatbots do more harm than good: 39% say chatbots hurt people who use them for loneliness, compared to just 19% who say they help.

For health professionals, wellness content creators, or any business in this space, the signal is clear: your audience is already using AI for these questions. The question is no longer whether they will, but how you position yourself as the trusted source that complements that search.