People — well, some people anyway — are relying on artificial intelligence for just about everything these days. Whether it’s financial advice, step-by-step car repair instructions or advice to the lovelorn, AI is where it’s at for those who value speed and the impression of accuracy over all else.
But a broad majority draw the line at responses to medical questions, specifically questions posed in patient portals. A Columbia University School of Nursing study surveyed 1,185 U.S.-based adults about AI use in secure medical portals, and a decisive 63% of patients said they would not endorse AI-generated medical responses without a clinician’s review.
This suggests that consumers have a rather sophisticated view of AI: they mostly (57%) endorse its us in such mundane tasks as patient scheduling and prescription refills but not to answer questions about medical treatment.
The study, “Public Perceptions of Timeliness for AI Use and Human Oversight,” was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open on October 14, 2026.
We’ll wait, thanks
Patients responding to the survey said they would rather wait up to 48 hours for a doctor or nurse to review and edit and AI response to medical questions than to get it straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.
How about mental health questions?
Participants said they mostly likely would use a licensed human therapist, even with a three-month wait (64%). Acceptance declined for a therapist-monitored AI chatbot available within one month (50%) and an AI-only chatbot available immediately (44%).
“This study showed what we had already assumed but can now back up with data. When people have a medical question, they want to hear from their doctor, not AI, even if AI may give an immediate answer,” said Natalie Benda, PhD, lead author and assistant professor at Columbia Nursing.
“People’s opinions differed across characteristics like race, health literacy, gender, and experiences of discrimination in medical settings. Notably, individuals who reported having been discriminated against in a medical setting were more open to AI responses to medical questions.”
The researches said the study highlights the importance of allowing patients to make decisions about how and when AI is used in their medical care. The authors suggest that patients may be more receptive to AI in lower-stakes situations but still expect clinician involvement for higher-stakes medical decisions and guidance.