AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini can help patients understand health information and prepare questions for their healthcare provider, but they have important limitations. Carson Valley Health providers explain why AI for health advice should be used as an educational tool, not as a replacement for diagnosis, treatment or medical evaluation.
You’ve probably googled a symptom before. You’ve probably found good advice, bad advice, and a lot of information in between. Now with artificial intelligence (AI) search engine tools like Claude, Gemini, or ChatGPT, fast, easy-to-understand search results are now easier to get than ever. But providers caution that quick answers don’t always lead to accurate results.
We all look for answers wherever it’s easiest. Google and AI are always there, and if you type in a few words, you get an answer. At their best, they help you understand symptoms, learn about conditions, and prepare for appointments. But they struggle when it comes to diagnosis.
“A lot of people come in saying they’ve looked things up,” said Ralph Herbig, DO, primary care physician with Carson Valley Health. “But when you prompt AI, it just has the information you’re telling it. It’s not looking at you, assessing you.”
Can AI Give Accurate Medical Advice?
Here’s where it gets complicated: the information you provide an AI tool can significantly affect the answer you receive.
A 2026 study published in Nature Medicine tested ChatGPT Health using 960 responses to clinician-written medical scenarios. Accuracy was highest for moderately urgent situations but dropped to about 35% for nonurgent cases and 48% for emergencies. In true emergency scenarios, the system undertriaged about 52% of cases, sometimes recommending care within 24 to 48 hours when immediate emergency care was warranted.
“Your primary care knows you — AI doesn’t know your medical history. If you ask the wrong question, you’re going to get whatever answer you want,” said Lisa McKinney, APRN, primary care provider with Carson Valley Health. “If you don’t understand why AI answered the way it did, most of what you find is useless—and sometimes harmful.”
Real care depends on a patient’s medical history, environment and real-time clinical assessment. AI cannot physically examine you, recognize everything you may have left out or take responsibility for a medical decision the way a healthcare provider does.
“AI can sound very confident, even when it’s only working off limited information. It’s not taking your blood pressure, listening to your lungs — it’s not evaluating you,” said Dr. Herbig. “As a doctor, you have to make sure what you are doing is good for the person sitting in front of you.”
AI isn’t going anywhere, and in healthcare, it’s best used to help you, as a patient, be more informed and ask better questions, not replace a visit to your doctor’s office.
“By all means, look things up,” McKinney said. “But before you act, talk to your provider.”
Have a Health Question? Start With Your Healthcare Provider
AI can be a useful starting point for learning about health, but AI health advice cannot replace a medical evaluation. Your healthcare provider can consider your symptoms, medical history, medications and other factors that an online tool may not have.
If you have questions about your health, connect with a Carson Valley Health Primary Care provider for personalized guidance you can trust.
