Among young people ChatGpt beats Dr. Google and more than one in ten Italians change their treatment by informing themselves online

Goodbye Dr Google, on health, young people prefer Chatgpt. This is one of the most interesting data emerging from 'Artificial Health', a study that documents with unpublished data the irruption of artificial intelligence with tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude in the daily health habits of Italians. The results, presented in Milan at the Assolombarda headquarters, show a transformation that is already underway, profound and in many ways unexpected. On the one hand, the fact that practically all Italians (94.2%) seek information on symptoms, illnesses and therapies through the Internet and AI is now taken for granted, and the advance of artificial intelligence in the world of health - ChatGpt itself has recently announced its 'ChatGpt Salute' version - but also the fact that doctors are increasingly under 'digital siege' by their patients, given that over 85% get information before and after a doctor's visit, and above all more than one Italian in ten changes the treatment prescribed by the doctor by informing themselves online.

The survey - carried out on a sample of 993 Italians representative of the population by Sociometrica and FieldCare on behalf of Fondazione Italia in Salute and Fondazione Pensiero Solido - first and foremost underlines how online health research is no longer the exception: it is the norm. 94.2% of the population searches for information on symptoms, diseases and therapies through the Internet and AI. Of these, more than half (53.3%) do so on a regular basis. But the most extraordinary data concerns generative Artificial Intelligence: 42.8% of Italians already use it to find out about their health, making it the second tool after Google (73.5%). A lightning-fast adoption, considering that ChatGPT was only launched in November 2022 and is now in the process of launching its version dedicated entirely to Health. What is also striking is the clear split between generations. Among the young (18-34 years old), AI has already overtaken Google: 72.9% use it as their first tool to search for health information, against 57.4% who prefer the traditional search engine. Among the over-54s, the ratio is drastically reversed: Google dominates at 93.1%, AI stops at 26.1%. "This is not a marginal difference, but two completely different models of relating to medical information," explains Antonio Preiti, author of the research. "Young people converse with AI as if it were an always available consultant. Adults maintain the traditional approach of searching on Google. It is a divide that is destined to redefine medicine in the coming years."

The other disruptive element that emerges from this survey is how the doctor's visit is no longer, as in the past, an isolated moment, but is almost overwhelmed by patients' online research, given that 85.7% of Italians consult the Internet or artificial intelligence before or after their appointment with the doctor. In short, digital 'besieges' professional consultation, precedes it, follows it, and questions it. So much so that as many as 63.9% of Italians who go for a medical check-up have used information found online to verify the diagnosis or therapy that was then suggested to them by the doctor. And among those who verify doctors' words, prescriptions or reports, there is 62.7% who admit to having questioned the recommendations received at least once.

But the most worrying phenomenon to emerge from the survey figures concerns those who move from doubt to action. In fact, 14.1% of Italians claim to have modified or discontinued a therapy based on information found online, without consulting their doctor. Of these, 6% have done so more than once or systematically. "They are the 'silent rebels' of contemporary healthcare," warns Federico Gelli, President of Fondazione Italia in Salute. "They do not openly challenge the doctor, but make autonomous decisions based on what they read online or ask ChatGPT. It is a phenomenon that the health system can no longer ignore." In short, the research documents the shift from a dual model (doctor-patient) to a triangular model (doctor-patient-digital). Algorithmic information has become the third actor in the healthcare relationship, with all the opportunities and risks this entails. "Generative AI forces physicians to redefine the relationship with patients," emphasises Antonio Palmieri, president of the Pensiero Solido Foundation. "The relational capacity of generative AI produces risks being stronger and more seductive than the human one. The algorithm listens, responds with patience and treats with kindness, thus acquiring authority. It is up to us humans not to be overtaken by artificial empathy in the relationship between doctor and patient."