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Patients are using AI to research healthcare providers at real scale: in rater8's 2026 survey, 47% of patients said they had used an AI tool to research healthcare providers, up from 31% in 2025, and 36% of those who searched for a new doctor said AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude influenced their choice (rater8). Below is the survey data on how patients use AI to find, judge and choose care, each figure linked to its study. AI Visibility is a feature in Curve Compliance, and Curve also offers it as a managed service. The managed service is Curve AEO, where Curve's team handles the strategy and execution for you.
Want to know whether AI assistants name your practice when patients ask, and who they name instead? Curve AEO tracks it, and Curve's team does the work to improve it. Book a call to see AI Visibility on your own questions, or to talk about the managed service.
Key findings
- Nearly half have used AI to research providers. 47% of patients in rater8's April 2026 survey, up from 31% in 2025 (rater8).
- About one in three adults uses AI for health. 34% of U.S. adults ever use AI chatbots for at least one of eight health reasons (Pew).
- Wrong answers are common. 66% of patients who used AI to research providers have seen incorrect provider information (rater8).
- Strong trust is rare. Only 4% of recent AI health users say they strongly trust the accuracy of AI-generated health information (West Health-Gallup).
- The AI Overview is trusted most. 37% of patients chose it as the part of Google results they trust most (rater8).
How many patients use AI to find a provider
In rater8's April 2026 survey of U.S. adults (n=992), 72% of patients were in the market for a new provider over the past year. 47% have used an AI tool to research healthcare providers, up from 31% in 2025. Another 40% are aware of these tools but haven't used them yet, and only 13% say they're not familiar with AI for healthcare research at all (rater8).
Among the patients who searched for a new doctor, AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude were cited by 36%, ahead of Google search results at 34% and doctor referrals at 32%. Among patients who actually switched providers, AI's influence was higher, at 39%. AI is not the top influence yet: friends and family (43%), insurance websites (43%) and review sites (40%) still rank above it in the same chart (rater8).
Another survey finds a lower number because it asks a different question of a different panel. In Wolters Kluwer's 2026 survey of 254 U.S. patients, only 30% would consider using AI to find a healthcare provider (Wolters Kluwer). "Have used" and "would consider" are different questions.
How many Americans use AI for health information
KFF, Pew and Gallup each asked how many Americans use AI for health. Answers range from about one in five to about one in three because each asks about a different time frame, so they are not a trend line. KFF's monthly measure is tracked over time: 29% now, up from 17% two years earlier (KFF).
| Survey | Fielded | What was measured | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KFF | Feb. to Mar. 2026, 1,343 adults | Used AI for health information and advice in the past year | 32% | KFF |
| KFF | May 2026, 2,480 adults | Use AI tools or chatbots for health information and advice monthly | 29% | KFF |
| Pew Research Center | June 2026, 3,488 adults | Ever use AI chatbots for at least one of eight health and medical reasons | 34% | Pew |
| Pew Research Center | October 2025, 5,111 adults | Get health information from AI chatbots at least sometimes | 22% | Pew |
| West Health-Gallup | Oct. to Dec. 2025, 5,660 adults | Have used an AI tool or chatbot to gather healthcare information or advice | 25% | Gallup |
OpenAI said in July 2026 that more than 300 million people turn to ChatGPT with health-related questions every week (OpenAI), and Google says people ask more than a billion health questions on Search every day (Google).
Which AI tools patients use
General chatbots lead, and AI inside Google search is close behind. Among Americans who used AI for health in the past 30 days, 61% used general conversational AI such as ChatGPT or Copilot, and 55% used AI tools embedded in web search, such as Google AI summaries (West Health-Gallup).
rater8's 2025 survey asked patients who had used generative AI tools to research healthcare providers which tools had been most helpful or accurate. Respondents could pick more than one: 73% named ChatGPT, followed by Google Gemini (56%), Microsoft Copilot (43%), Perplexity (30%) and Claude (17%) (rater8 2025 report).
So there are two channels to win: chatbot answers and Google's AI Overviews. See tracking AI Overviews.
What patients ask AI about
| What people use AI for | Figure | Base | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Figure out what's causing symptoms | 25% | U.S. adults, June 2026 | Pew |
| Get health information about treatments | 22% | U.S. adults, June 2026 | Pew |
| Learn more about a diagnosis from a doctor | 22% | U.S. adults, June 2026 | Pew |
| Help understand lab results | 20% | U.S. adults, June 2026 | Pew |
| Physical symptoms | 58% | Past-30-day AI health users | Gallup |
| Understand medication side effects | 46% | Past-30-day AI health users | Gallup |
| Help deciding whether to see a doctor or seek care | 16% | U.S. adults, past year | KFF |
Some of those questions are about finding a practice. Microsoft's analysis of over 500,000 Copilot health conversations from January 2026 found that the top topic within healthcare navigation was finding nearby providers, clinics or specialists, at 43.1% of that category (Microsoft AI).
How patients search before they book
Patient searches start local: when searching for a new doctor, 55% of patients type some version of "specialty near me." Ratings work as a filter: asked the lowest star rating they would accept before booking, 75% said 4.0 or higher and 44% said they wouldn't book below 4.5 stars. And 55% of patients have canceled or avoided booking with a provider because of negative online reviews (rater8).
On Google, the AI Overview is now the most trusted part of the page. Asked which section of Google results they trust most, 37% of patients chose the AI Overview, 20% the organic blue links, 13% the local map pack and 7% sponsored ads (rater8). AI answers about local care draw on the same directories, review sites and practice pages patients already read. See where AI gets healthcare answers.
How much patients trust AI health answers
Trust is rising but shallow. Users trust AI far more than non-users: about eight in ten adults who have not used AI for health trust it "not too much" or "not at all" (KFF).
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Patients who trust AI health information more than a year ago | 43% (20% trust it less) | rater8 |
| Patients who trust AI search results more than standard Google results for provider research | 27% (19% in 2025, with different answer options) | rater8 |
| AI health users who trust it a great deal or a fair amount for reliable health information | 69% | KFF |
| Recent AI health users who strongly trust its accuracy | 4% | Gallup |
| Chatbot health users who say the information is highly accurate | 18% (23% say not too or not at all) | Pew |
| People who get health information from providers and say it is highly accurate | 65% | Pew |
| Online health searchers who think AI-generated health information is somewhat or very reliable | 63% (8% very) | Annenberg |
| Adults not too or not at all confident they can tell if AI chatbot health information is true or false | 44% | KFF |
Wrong answers, taken at face value
Among the 465 patients in rater8's survey who have used AI to research providers, 66% said they have encountered incorrect provider information from an AI tool: wrong addresses, phone numbers, insurance details or office hours. Yet 60% of AI users said they trusted the summary they received without verifying it (rater8).
State your hours, locations, insurance and services in plain text on your own pages, and keep every listing consistent with them, so the sources AI reads agree. Gallup adds a reason to keep medical content clinician-reviewed: 11% of recent AI health users said AI recommended health information or advice they believed was unsafe (West Health-Gallup). See what to do when AI gets your practice wrong.
What patients do after the AI answer
For many AI health users, AI adds to care rather than replacing it. Among people who used AI for health in the past 30 days, 59% used it to research before visiting a doctor and 56% after a visit, and 46% of AI health users said it made them more confident talking with a provider (West Health-Gallup). KFF found 58% of adults who used AI for physical health advice later followed up with a doctor or health care provider (KFF).
AI can also move care forward: in Wolters Kluwer's 2026 survey, 26% of patients said they sought medical care sooner after using AI to research a symptom or condition (Wolters Kluwer).
Whether patients click through is less clear. In Annenberg's 2025 survey, 65% of online health searchers said they always or often keep searching by following links after an AI-generated response (Annenberg Public Policy Center). Pew's browsing data on Google searches across all topics by 900 U.S. adults shows a different picture: users who saw an AI summary clicked a traditional result in 8% of visits, versus 15% without one, and clicked a link inside the summary in 1% of visits (Pew Research Center). What people say they do and what they do can differ. See how AI answers lead to bookings.
What patients share with AI
77% of U.S. adults are concerned about the privacy of personal medical information provided to AI tools. Yet 41% of those who have used AI for physical or mental health, amounting to 13% of all adults, say they've uploaded personal medical information into an AI tool or chatbot (KFF). A practice checking AI answers should send only marketing questions. See HIPAA-compliant AI visibility tracking.
What the data means for healthcare marketers
- Answer the "near me" and "best" questions. Most patient searches start local. Pages that state your services, locations, insurance and hours in plain text give AI something accurate to use.
- Keep facts consistent everywhere. When two-thirds of AI users have seen wrong provider details, a mismatch between your site and a directory can lose you a booking.
- Measure what the answers bring. Track the visits and bookings AI answers lead to.
- Keep clinicians in the loop. Have your clinicians review anything medical you publish.
How Curve Compliance helps
AI Visibility is a feature in Curve Compliance, and Curve also offers it as a managed service. In Curve, the feature is called AI Visibility (AEO), and the managed service is Curve AEO.
What You Get with Curve AEO:
- AI Visibility Tracking. See how often your brand appears in AI-generated answers.
- Optimize Your Site for AI. We make technical improvements that help AI assistants find, read, and understand your content.
- Competitive Insights. Understand who's getting recommended instead of you.
- Content Roadmap. Identify gaps and prioritize opportunities to improve performance.
With the managed service, Curve's team sets up your questions, competitors and topics, writes the pages on your roadmap, and makes the technical fixes that help AI assistants read your site. Your clinicians review and approve anything medical before it goes live. If your developer manages your site, Curve's team hands them the exact fixes. Curve's team turns those insights into action: building your strategy, creating and optimizing content, and tracking progress.
AI Visibility catches what AI gets wrong about your practice, so you can correct it on the pages AI reads. It ties AI answers to the visits and bookings they bring you. AI Visibility is built for healthcare: only the marketing question you track is sent to AI assistants, screened for PHI first, and never anything about a patient. Curve is SOC 2 Type II and signs a BAA on every plan.
In one AI Visibility program we've run, for a HIPAA-focused healthcare software brand, AI assistants named or cited the brand in more than half of their answers to its 40 core buyer questions about five weeks in. Across 184 buyer questions, its site was cited in more AI answers than any competitor's, more than 2.5 times as many as the nearest one.
Sources (checked November 6, 2026): rater8, 2026 Patient Choice Report; rater8, 2025 report (August 2025); KFF, Use of AI for Health Information (March 25, 2026); KFF, The Monitor (March 26, 2026); KFF, Social Media and AI for Health Information (June 17, 2026); Pew Research Center, AI chatbots for health (August 25, 2026); Pew Research Center, health information sources (April 7, 2026); Pew Research Center, report PDF (April 7, 2026); Pew Research Center, AI summaries (July 22, 2025); West Health-Gallup (April 14, 2026); Annenberg Public Policy Center (2025); Wolters Kluwer (2026); Microsoft AI, Copilot for Health (March 2026); OpenAI, Health in ChatGPT (July 2026); Google, The Check Up 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many patients use AI to research healthcare providers?
In rater8's 2026 survey, 47% of patients said they had used an AI tool to research healthcare providers, up from 31% in 2025 (rater8).
Do patients trust AI for health information?
It depends on the survey. KFF found 69% of adults who used AI for health trust it a great deal or a fair amount (KFF). Among people who used AI for health in the past 30 days, West Health-Gallup found about a third trust it (33%) and only 4% strongly trust its accuracy (West Health-Gallup).
Which AI tools do patients use for health questions?
Among recent AI health users, 61% used general chatbots such as ChatGPT or Copilot and 55% used AI in web search, such as Google AI summaries (West Health-Gallup).
Does AI give patients wrong information about providers?
Often. 66% of patients who used AI to research providers have seen incorrect provider information, and 60% trusted the summary without verifying it (rater8).
Do patients still click through to practice websites?
Less often when Google shows an AI summary. In Pew's browsing data on Google searches across all topics by U.S. adults, users clicked a traditional result in 8% of visits with a summary, versus 15% without one (Pew Research Center).
Why do surveys on patient AI use disagree?
They ask different questions of different groups over different time frames. Quote each figure with its own wording and base.
How can a practice see whether AI names it?
Curve Compliance's AI Visibility shows how often ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, Perplexity, Claude and Gemini name and cite your practice for the questions your patients ask. With Curve AEO, Curve's team also handles the work to improve it. See how patients use ChatGPT to find a doctor.
Talk to Curve Compliance
See how AI assistants answer your patients' questions about your specialty, and talk to Curve's team about improving where you stand. Book a call to see AI Visibility on your own questions, or to talk about the managed service.