40 million people now use ChatGPT daily for health questions, OpenAI report finds

OpenAI, the San Fransisco-based company behind the conversational artificial intelligence (AI) service ChatGPT, says the platform has rapidly become a fixture in how people navigate health care, with tens of millions of users now turning to the chatbot every day for advice on symptoms, insurance, billing and treatment options.

In a new report, “AI as a Healthcare Ally,” the company estimates that more than 5% of all ChatGPT messages globally are about health care, amounting to billions of conversations each week.

Of more than 800 million regular users, roughly one in four submits at least one health-related prompt every week, and more than 40 million people do so daily.

The report’s findings, which were first shared with Axios and detailed in the company’s 18-page report, highlight how patients are using ChatGPT to decode medical bills, spot errors, appeal insurance denials and decide whether to seek urgent care.

At the same time, OpenAI and outside experts warn that the tool can give wrong or dangerous advice, particularly in mental health and high-stakes scenarios. ChatGPT is not a substitute for physician judgment.

This slideshow breaks down some key findings from the report.