Frequent users of AI chatbots are more likely to believe anti-vaccine myths than those who do not use these technologies to obtain health information. A new sociological survey conducted in the US by the healthcare research organization KFF revealed that utilizing AI tools for medical advice directly correlates with the proliferation of misconceptions about vaccines.<\/p>\n
The study, which surveyed 2,480 Americans, showed that among frequent chatbot users, there is a significantly higher belief in myths suggesting that vaccines cause autism or that the measles vaccine is more dangerous than the virus itself. Notably, this correlation remained unchanged even after accounting for factors such as age, race, education, and political affiliation.<\/p>\n
According to statistical data, 35% of adults who turn to artificial intelligence for health issues at least once a week believe that the link between the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and the development of autism in children is “definitely or probably true.” By comparison, among those who do not use AI for medical purposes at all, only 20% believe this myth. A similar trend is observed regarding mRNA vaccines: 29% of frequent users mistakenly believe that this type of vaccine can alter human DNA, whereas among non-users of the technology, this figure stands at 20%.<\/p>\n
Researchers note that using artificial intelligence for medical advice continues the same trend observed with search engines over the years; however, the level of disinformation and bias generated by chatbots heavily depends on specific models, their training data, and the policies of the developer companies. The KFF survey also highlighted a demographic disparity: lower-income and less-educated groups more frequently search for health information on social media, while individuals with higher income and higher education degrees prefer artificial intelligence tools.<\/p>\n