Doctors warn against dangers of health misinformation from AI sources

OTTAWA — The Canadian Medical Association says doctors are worried that more of their patients are turning to artificial intelligence for health advice — and getting answers that put them in danger.

The national group, which represents physicians across the country, says the trend is especially alarming because so many people don’t have access to a primary care provider, and many are turning to sources that are easily available and quick.

“It’s alarming because a lot of that information is misinformation, disinformation and false information. And so that really undermines the trust between patients and their physicians,” said Dr. Margot Burnell, the CMA’s president.

In a new survey commissioned by the CMA and conducted by Abacus Data, 5,001 Canadians answered a series of questions about where they get their health information and which sources they consider reliable.

Nearly all of the survey respondents reported that they look for health information online — most often for information about a particular condition or a symptom, or for treatment options.

Sixty-four per cent of survey respondents said they encountered health information online that they later learned was false or misleading — occasionally, often or all the time. Another 29 per cent said that happens rarely.

Only 27 per cent of respondents said they trust AI to provide accurate health information — but about half said they turn to AI search results from Google or platforms like ChatGPT for health information. Around 38 per cent said they used ChatGPT for treatment advice.

Those who followed the advice they got from AI were five times more likely to say they experienced an adverse reaction or negative effect on their health as a result, said the survey.

Burnell said doctors have a lot of experience with patients who do their own research online before coming to an appointment, but AI platforms provide what appears to be definitive health advice without taking into account a clear picture of an individual’s medical history.

“AI information is different because it’s hard to know who’s generated it. It’s hard to ensure where the validity and the science has come from,” she said.

The CMA said that’s part of a growing trend of health misinformation and disinformation spreading online.

Canadians are also worried about the quality of health information coming from the United States, the survey suggests. More than three-quarters of respondents said they’re concerned about increasing misinformation from south of the border.

U.S. President Donald Trump and his health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have made false and misleading claims about the efficacy of vaccines, and have falsely claimed that using Tylenol during pregnancy can cause autism.

Data from the survey was presented at a CMA event in Ottawa on Tuesday, where guests also heard from Dr. Tom Frieden, who was director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2009 to 2017.

Frieden said there has been an “ideological takeover of many of the core government public health institutions” under the Trump administration, and called it “dangerous and unprecedented.”

Frieden said he agreed with Health Minister Marjorie Michel, who told The Canadian Press in December that she does not think American health institutions can be trusted, and that Canada must look to new partners and new sources of sound information.

“We need to think of misinformation as an epidemic, and we need address it with improving preparedness — early detection, early response, lesson-learning and resilience,” he said.

Burnell said much of the information coming from the Trump administration is not based on science and exposure to misinformation can cause people to doubt other sources of information.

Half of the survey respondents said misinformation has led them to be skeptical of the advice they get from health care providers, and 69 per cent said it’s led them to doubt other online health information.

The survey suggests the vast majority of people surveyed think social media companies and the government have a responsibility to address the problem of health misinformation.

Dr. Jen Gunter, who also spoke at the Tuesday event, said the main priority for governments must be ensuring that Canadians have access to health-care providers.

“If people can’t get access to health-care providers, then of course they’re going to online,” she said.

Gunter said better research is needed to understand how to reach people who are “down a rabbit hole” of misinformation. But she said the survey clearly shows that people want quality information about their health.

“Why can’t the government be putting out better content for people to have access to?” she said.

The Abacus survey was conducted in early November. It cannot be assigned a margin of error because online surveys are not considered truly random samples.

The CMA has a partnership with The Canadian Press that funds health coverage, but the association has no control over editorial content.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2026.

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press