They are pushing back.
A recent survey from the University of Michigan shows that most Americans aged 50 and older lack trust in health advice generated by artificial intelligence (AI). In fact, 74% of respondents expressed little to no confidence in AI-provided health information. However, despite this mistrust, many of these older adults feel confident in their ability to recognize false health information, with only 20% doubting their capacity to identify misinformation.
For those who had recently searched for health information online, only 32% found it easy to locate accurate advice. Dr. Jeffrey Kullgren, who led the survey, highlighted the crucial role that healthcare providers and pharmacists play as trusted sources of health guidance for older adults. He also noted that health organization websites are seen as highly trustworthy, suggesting the need for more people to rely on these resources for credible information.
The poll revealed that 84% of respondents had received health advice from a healthcare provider, pharmacist, or someone they know with a medical background in the past year. Over 70% of participants rated their healthcare professionals as highly trustworthy, while 62% expressed similar confidence in advice from friends or family members. Additionally, 58% of respondents turned to websites for health information, with the most popular being commercial .com sites like WebMD, although trust in these varied.
Fewer respondents used health websites run by government agencies, nonprofits, or universities, but those who did generally found the information to be highly trustworthy. Around 60% of visitors to these sites felt confident in the information they found. Despite the growing reliance on the internet for health information among older adults, there remains a notable gap in trust, particularly when it comes to AI-generated content, as emphasized by AARP’s senior vice president, Indira Venkat.
Overall, the findings point to a need for accessible and reliable health resources, especially as more people, including older adults, turn to digital platforms for health-related advice. Ensuring that older adults have access to credible information from trusted sources, such as healthcare professionals and verified websites, is increasingly important in the evolving digital landscape.
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