While artificial intelligence is commonly known for its assistance with small tasks, such as cooking and travel planning, people have started using it for health guidance.

Despite physicians persevering through years of school to earn their medical degrees, the popularity surrounding AI has become so popular that we now ask for health advice before going to a doctor. Is this alternative really reliable: let us take a look at how using AI for health advice can benefit Americans.

For starters, it helps manage time. It is a quicker, more efficient way of finding out what answers you need without the wait. As a nation, we relate to wanting answers quickly and getting them now. Another factor of using AI for health guidance would be accuracy.

Although AI can offer some health tips, can it be relied on to offer a health diagnosis? In severe cases such as cancer, dementia, heart issues, diabetes or arthritis, AI can not determine the prognosis with a simple question. More studies would have to be tested and a thorough check-up of the patient would have to be done. A doctor would have an idea just from hearing about the patient’s symptoms, but still, testing would have to be performed.

AI would be more adequate offering health advice for minor issues such as treating a wound or getting rid of flatulence. AI is also very beneficial in giving nutrition and exercise advice, which also impacts health. These are just a couple of the many minor health questions that can be relayed to AI.

As I witnessed today, AI can also schedule doctor’s appointments without having to speak to a live person. It is very convenient and self-reliant. It takes the stress off waiting on hold for minutes to hours while navigating through a busy day.

The impact of using AI in our society is very influential. An article produced by Harvard Medical School states that “integrating AI into routine clinical practice will require careful validation, training and ongoing monitoring to ensure its accuracy, safety and effectiveness in supporting physicians to deliver care,” to evaluate how artificial intelligence is negatively impacting medicine and the outcome of that harsh reality.

It is evident that AI, used on many different platforms globally, is progressing faster than we can adapt to. However, you must understand that healthcare professionals have been trained for years in their line of work, which overqualifies them to solve your concerns. As mentioned above, using AI for medical advice instead of physicians can be detrimental to your health. Therefore, make decisions that will solve your issues long-term instead of decisions catered to instant gratification.