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A researcher says older adults can use AI chatbots and voice assistants to access and understand health information, but should check the quality of their answers rather than trust them automatically. Survey findings cited in the report show widespread non-verification among chatbot users, while accuracy and privacy concerns remain.
A researcher studying older adults’ technology use says AI chatbots can help people access and understand health information, but users should approach answers with informed skepticism—checking their credibility instead of treating them as medical fact. The report, published by Medical Xpress, also points to risks including inaccurate advice, overlooked warnings and exposure of personal information.
The researcher’s account describes older adults using tools such as ChatGPT, Alexa and Siri to ask health questions, including about symptoms, diet and fitness. Chatbots can provide quick replies, explain complicated subjects in simpler language and summarize information. For people who find a topic sensitive, asking a chatbot may also feel easier than raising it with someone else, the report says.
A 2025 poll conducted by the researcher and colleagues found that half of older adults surveyed reported using AI chatbots or voice assistants, and about 14% of that group accessed health information through them. Separately, a survey of 300 adults reported that roughly one in five respondents used AI chatbots for health questions. These are survey findings; the report does not establish that they represent all older adults or all chatbot users.
The report warns that chatbots can give incorrect advice, misclassify conditions or respond agreeably even when an answer is not accurate—a behavior AI experts call sycophancy. In the 2025 survey of 300 adults who used a health chatbot, four in five said they never verified its output. The researcher also reports that older users in their work often preferred to complete a search on the same device, which could make checking answers in another format less likely.
Fast Answers Need Independent Checks
For older adults managing chronic conditions or new diagnoses, quick explanations can make health information easier to access between appointments. The report says using a device at home may also give people a greater sense of control over their questions, particularly when they feel left out of conversations in clinical settings.
That convenience comes with a risk: a fluent answer can sound authoritative while still being wrong. A chatbot response should not be treated as a diagnosis or a substitute for professional care, especially for urgent symptoms or decisions about treatment. The report’s central point is practical: use AI to help understand information, but confirm important health claims through reliable sources or a qualified health professional.
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What the Surveys and Bill Show
The report challenges the assumption that older adults are uniformly reluctant or inexperienced technology users. It describes their use of voice assistants and chatbots for both everyday tasks and health questions, while noting that patterns of use may differ by age. In the researcher’s work, older adults tended to prefer staying with one device; younger adults more often treated AI as one step in a search and moved on to another source.
The researcher also points to the Aging with AI Act, introduced in the U.S. Senate in 2026, as an example of growing attention to research on AI’s potential benefits and risks for older people. The report does not provide details on the bill’s legislative progress. It also notes that public chatbot companies may retain prompts for training models, which creates a privacy concern when users share sensitive health details.
““informed skepticism””
— The researcher whose work is described in the Medical Xpress report
Limits of the Available Evidence
The report does not identify the researcher by name in the supplied material, provide the full survey methods or establish whether the findings apply nationally. The survey figures describe respondents, not every older adult or every person who uses AI for health information. It is also unclear how often users followed the report’s suggested verification steps or whether those steps improved the accuracy of health decisions.
Chatbot features and privacy policies vary by provider and can change. The report warns that companies may retain prompts, but it does not specify how long each service stores information or whether a particular user’s data will be used for model training. Readers should check the settings and policies of the service they use.
Checking Answers Before Acting
The report recommends learning how to turn off AI-generated results where possible and using chatbot features that show or link to supporting sources. It says Google Search users can add “-ai” to a query to remove AI content from results, while noting that search services differ in how they present AI features. Users should avoid entering personally identifying information into public chatbots, according to the researchers’ general privacy guidance.
For health questions, the next step is to verify consequential answers against trustworthy published sources and discuss medical concerns with a qualified professional. The report does not announce new study results or a policy decision; further research and the progress of the Aging with AI Act remain developments to watch.
Key Questions
Can older adults use AI chatbots for health information?
Yes. The report describes older adults using chatbots and voice assistants to ask health questions and says they can help explain complex information. Their answers still need checking and should not replace professional medical care.
What does “informed skepticism” mean?
It means considering a chatbot’s response while checking its sources and credibility, rather than accepting it automatically. The report recommends using available information-quality features and consulting other reliable sources.
What risks does the report identify?
Chatbots may provide inaccurate health advice, misclassify conditions or produce overly agreeable responses. Users may also share sensitive information with services whose data-retention practices vary.
How common is checking chatbot health answers?
In a 2025 survey of 300 adults who used a health chatbot, four in five respondents said they never verified its output. The figure applies to that survey’s respondents and is not a measure of all chatbot users.
Should users put private health details into a public chatbot?
The researchers’ general guidance is to avoid entering personally identifiable information. Check the service’s current privacy settings and policy before sharing sensitive details.
Source: medicalxpress.com
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