06/04/2026
More studies are being conducted to evaluate how patients use AI and voice-assisted technologies to search for health information, with a particular emphasis on tools that provide “one” answer rather than the resources to investigate a number of different sources.
In "Evolving Health Information–Seeking Behavior in the Context of Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Alexa: Interview Study Using the Think-Aloud Protocol," authors Claire Wardle, Shaydanay Urbani, and Eric Wang conducted in-depth qualitative research with 27 participants searching for health information across 3 platforms—Google, ChatGPT, and Alexa—while verbalizing their thought processes.
The authors found that participants integrated AI tools into their broader search routines rather than using them in isolation. ChatGPT was valued for its clarity, speed, and ability to generate keywords or summarize complex topics, even by users skeptical of its accuracy. Google’s AI Overviews were met with caution—participants frequently skipped them to review traditional search results. Alexa was viewed as convenient but limited, particularly for in-depth health queries.
Overall, users exhibited sophisticated “mix-and-match” behaviors, drawing on multiple tools depending on context, urgency, and familiarity. While the sample size is small, participants in this study selectively engaged with AI- and voice-assisted tools based on perceived usefulness, not just trustworthiness, challenging assumptions that credibility is the primary driver of technology adoption.
Read the full study here: https://nih.pulse.ly/gvcmh6vqln