The trend: Patients admit they don’t want their doctors to know that they use AI tools for health information and guidance, per a February 2026 survey of 1,186 US adults.

• About 1 in 5 say they’ve hidden AI use for health purposes from their physician.
• 1 in 4 haven’t done this, but acknowledge they would hide it from their doctor.
• Gen Z is twice as likely as other generations to say they have or would conceal it from their provider.

Among consumers who hide their AI use from physicians:

• 39% are worried about being judged by the doctors.
• 31% think their doctor would dismiss any health information generated by AI.

Why it matters: Patients still value their doctor most for health guidance. But a growing share also want to combine AI with professional input for health questions, such as using it to prepare for appointments, better understand test results and diagnoses, and learn about symptoms and conditions.

When polled on whether they’d rather ask a medical question to their doctor or an AI tool:

• 65% said they’d prefer asking a doctor.
• 23% said they’d like to ask both a doctor and AI.
• 7% would just like to ask AI.

However, doctors aren’t as dismissive of patients using AI for health information as many assume, per a supplementary Zocdoc survey of 1,000 US clinicians.

• 77% of physicians said patients who bring AI-generated health information into appointments ask thoughtful questions.
• 76% said AI-informed patients are more engaged in their care.
• 60% said they’d rather patients use AI for health guidance rather than a direct Google search.
• Many doctors also think that AI health answers can spread misinformation (74%), and that users may become overconfident in them (49%) or misinterpret their responses (49%).

Implications for healthcare providers and marketers: Patients who hesitate to tell doctors they use AI for health information may miss out on authoritative guidance that could check or clarify what they’ve learned. This gap between patients’ reluctance and physicians’ generally neutral or positive views can be narrowed if doctors proactively reassure patients that using AI is acceptable, as long as it doesn’t replace professional care. Marketers can further support patients by creating resources that teach how to prompt AI effectively, avoid overreliance on its outputs, and verify sources cited in responses.

This content is part of EMARKETER’s subscription Briefings, where we pair daily updates with data and analysis from forecasts and research reports. Our Briefings prepare you to start your day informed, to provide critical insights in an important meeting, and to understand the context of what’s happening in your industry. Not a subscriber? Click here to get a demo of our full platform and coverage.