Trust, Interrupted: How Consumers Use and Trust AI for Healthcare Search

AI is changing how people find healthcare information

AI can answer a health question in seconds. But do people believe what it tells them? Do they check where the information comes from? And does showing up in an AI-generated answer make your hospital more trustworthy?

To find out, Aha Media Group and Klein & Partners held 200 AI-moderated in-depth interviews with U.S. consumers in October 2026. It’s the third wave of our research on how consumers use and trust AI for health search.

We found a divided audience, some surprising habits, and a clear message for healthcare marketers: Showing up in the AI-generated answer is only half the job. The other half is giving people a reason to trust what they find.

1. Consumers are split on trusting AI with health information

We asked: How much do you trust AI for healthcare searches? The responses were about even: 41% trust it. 42% don’t. (And another 17% landed somewhere in the middle.)

People are using AI while still figuring out how much confidence to place in its answers. So don’t assume your audience is all in (or all out) on AI.

2. AI is moving beyond symptoms and into healthcare choices

35% have used AI to research a symptom or condition. That’s the most common health use we heard about in our interviews. But it doesn’t stop there.

Nearly half (49%) hadn’t used AI for any of the health topics we asked about. But for those who have, the questions go beyond understanding symptoms to finding and comparing care.

That makes your highly differentiated content about services, providers, and treatments increasingly important in AI search.

3. Most people aren’t checking where AI gets its answers

60% don’t pay attention to AI’s sources, either because they hadn’t thought to look or didn’t know they could. But those who trust AI the most are also the most likely to check its sources.

• 59% of people with high trust in AI said they pay attention to sources.
• 23% of people with low trust said the same.

You might expect skeptics to check more closely. Our interviews found the opposite.

Is this because checking sources builds trust? Or because people who are comfortable with AI know its features (and pitfalls) better. Either way, it raises an important question: How easy are you making it for people to recognize credible information?

4. AI summaries haven’t won consumers’ trust over traditional search results

We asked people to imagine searching for a hospital on Google. One hospital shows up in the regular search results. Another shows up in the AI-generated summary at the top. Which would they trust more?

There was no clear winner. And the answer depended heavily on how much people already trusted AI. Among people with high trust in AI, 59% would trust the hospital in the AI summary more. Among people with low trust, just 6% would.

So even if your hospital shows up in Google’s AI Overview, that visibility doesn’t guarantee credibility.

Where patients find you matters. So does what they already believe about AI.

5. When it comes to healthcare, people still trust people

66% have high trust in healthcare overall. But only 41% have high trust in AI for healthcare searches.

And when we asked which people or groups in healthcare they trust most, clinicians came out far ahead.

One respondent summed up why that human connection matters:

“Nurses, because they’re the ones who actually spend the most time with patients and genuinely advocate for their well-being.” (Male respondent, 35)

AI may help patients find information and explore their options. But the relationships they’ve built with doctors and nurses still carry a lot of weight.

So highlight your clinicians’ expertise, wherever patients find your information.

What does this mean for healthcare marketers?

You can’t control everything an AI search tool says about your organization. But you can control the information you publish, how you maintain it, and what happens when someone lands on your website.

5 things worth prioritizing:

1. Make your content easy to find and understand. Answer real patient questions about symptoms, treatments, providers, and services. Our CRISP framework shows you how to get your content ready for AI.
2. Give people a reason to trust it. Show clinician reviewers, credentials, credible sources, and review dates.
3. Keep practical information current. Provider details, locations, services, and insurance information need regular attention. A content governance plan keeps it from slipping.
4. Don’t rely on AI visibility alone. Make sure people find helpful, credible information whether they arrive from regular search results or an AI-generated answer. Start by making sure AI tools can find and pull from your content.
5. Make the next step easy. Help people find a clinician, schedule care, or reach a person when they need one.

Trust, interrupted

AI is creating new ways for people to discover healthcare. But the basics of trust haven’t changed.

People still want accurate information. They want to know where it came from. And when it comes to their health, they still value the expertise of doctors and nurses.

Your job is to make sure those human strengths show up everywhere patients find your information, including AI search.

About the research

Aha Media Group and Klein & Partners held 200 AI-moderated in-depth interviews with U.S. consumers on Oct. 3-6, 2026. The interviews explored trust in healthcare, AI-assisted health searches, advertising, and AI in hospital communications and care.

Findings are directional and describe the people we interviewed. They shouldn’t be read as nationally representative estimates. Percentages for questions that allowed multiple responses may not add up to 100%.

The study builds on 2 earlier national surveys from fall 2025 (n=1,000) and spring 2026 (n=500).