Survey on Attitudes Towards AI Health Consultation and AI Medicine Conducted Among 480 General Consumers

TechDoctor Inc. (CEO: Kazunobu Minato, Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, hereinafter "TechDoctor") conducted a survey on "Attitudes Towards AI Health Consultation and AI Medicine" among 480 adult men and women* nationwide.

*Conducted with an equal allocation of 240 participants who have experience consulting with conversational AI (like ChatGPT) and 240 who do not.

◾️ Background of the Survey

With the rapid spread of conversational AI like ChatGPT, the use of AI as a means of information gathering and consultation regarding health and medicine is expanding among consumers. The behavior of checking symptoms with AI before visiting a medical institution or casually consulting about daily health concerns is no longer limited to a technologically advanced segment but is beginning to permeate a wide range of generations.

On the other hand, the actual state of consumer expectations and anxieties about AI medicine, as well as differences in attitudes based on AI usage experience, has not been sufficiently clarified from a consumer perspective. Understanding how much trust is placed in AI in the health and medical fields, and what conditions lead to trust formation, is crucial for considering future medical DX and AI utilization.

For AI to become a trusted presence in medicine, "backing by highly accurate data" that transcends individual subjectivity is essential. We conducted this survey to re-examine the foundation of trust in AI medicine from a "data" perspective, as a company that analyzes biometric data from wearable devices to develop digital biomarkers (dBM).

■ Survey Summary

- About 50% of the total, and about 70% of those with AI experience, showed a positive reaction to pre-visit AI symptom consultation.
- When asked who they consult for health concerns, about 1 in 6 AI-experienced users chose "AI." Among AI-experienced users aged 60 and over, it was the second choice after "doctor."
- About 1 in 4 of the total respondents answered, "Less trustworthy than a doctor, but more trustworthy than friends/family," suggesting AI is acquiring a unique position between doctors and close acquaintances.
- The top anxiety about AI medicine was "erroneous judgments/oversights," cited by about 40% of the total. The top anxieties were nearly the same for both experienced and inexperienced AI users, highlighting concerns about accuracy and evidence as a common issue regardless of usage experience.
- Regarding AI judgments using daily health data, 52.3% of the total answered it would "increase reliability." 67.1% of AI-experienced users reacted positively to AI judgments using daily health data.

Survey Overview

Survey Period: March 18, 2026 (Wednesday)
Valid Responses: Main Survey 480 samples*
Survey Method: Internet Research

*Conducted with an equal allocation of 240 participants who have experience consulting with conversational AI (like ChatGPT) and 240 who do not.

■ Survey Results

1. About 50% of AI-experienced users want to consult AI about "health and physical condition." Even 20% of inexperienced users show an intention to consult.
Among AI-experienced users, "learning/research" (58.3%) and "health and physical condition" (50.0%) ranked high, suggesting that AI is already becoming established as a means for daily information gathering and health management.
On the other hand, 21.3% of AI-inexperienced users also showed an intention to consult about "health and physical condition," indicating that potential demand is spreading even among those who have not yet used AI.

2. When asked who they consult for health concerns, about 1 in 6 AI-experienced users chose "AI." Among AI-experienced users aged 60 and over, it was the second choice after "doctor."
When asked who they would first consult when having health or physical concerns, 10.2% of the total chose "AI." This figure rose to 17.5% (about 1 in 6) among AI-experienced users, revealing a tendency for those who have used AI to also choose it as a consultation source for health concerns.
By generation, 21.7% of AI-experienced users aged 60 and over chose "AI," more than double the overall figure (9.2%). It ranked second after "doctor," overturning the stereotype that "the elderly do not use AI." This indicates that usage experience is changing attitudes toward AI regardless of generation.

3. About 1 in 4 of the total respondents answered, "Less trustworthy than a doctor, but more trustworthy than friends/family," suggesting AI is acquiring a unique position of trust.
When asked about their level of trust in AI for health and medical consultations, the combined responses for "more trustworthy than a doctor" and "as trustworthy as a doctor" was 12.1% overall, and 17.9% among AI-experienced users.
Furthermore, 25.2% of the total and 31.7% of AI-experienced users answered, "Less trustworthy than a doctor, but more trustworthy than friends/family." This suggests that expectations for AI are forming as a source one can casually ask about things that are difficult to consult a doctor about.

4. About 50% of the total are positive about pre-visit AI symptom consultation.