NEWS AND VIEWS21 October 2026The use of artificial-intelligence tools in medicine is increasing. What types of technology might be on the horizon and how can such health-advice tools be tested?ByEmma Pierson0Emma PiersonEmma Pierson is at the University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94703, USA.View author publicationsSearch author on: PubMed Google ScholarView saved researchAlthough people report increasing trepidation about the effects of artificial intelligence across many domains, health care emerges as a rare area of some optimism1. AI tools, in the form of large language models (LLMs), such as the chatbot ChatGPT, are widely used for health advice. It is estimated that one-third of US adults turn to chatbots for answers to health questions2, and globally it has been suggested that about 230 million people ask ChatGPT health and wellness questions every week3. Writing in Nature, Heydari et al.4 present their response to this enormous demand by creating and assessing an AI personal health ‘agent’, which is designed to analyse an individual’s health data and offer advice.Access options Access through your institutionAccess Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journalsGet Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription27.99 € / 30 days cancel any timeLearn moreSubscribe to this journalReceive 51 print issues and online access199.00 € per year only 3.90 € per issueLearn moreRent or buy this articlePrices vary by article type$1.95 to $39.95Learn morePrices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkoutdoi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-03065-4Referenceshttps://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/03/pi_2025.04.03_us-public-and-ai-experts_topline.pdfhttps://www.kff.org/public-opinion/kff-tracking-poll-on-health-information-and-trust-use-of-ai-for-health-information-and-advice/Nature 658, 7–8 (2026).Article Google Scholar Heydari, A. A. et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-11161-8 (2026).Article Google Scholar Ramaswamy, A. et al. Nature Med. 32, 1671–1675 (2026).Article PubMed Google Scholar Agrawal, M., Chen, I. Y., Gulamali, F. & Joshi, S. npj Digit. Med. 8, 600 (2025).Article PubMed Google Scholar Heinz, M. V. et al. N. Engl. J. Med. AI https://doi.org/10.1056/AIoa2400802 (2025).Article Google Scholar Mathioudakis, N. et al. JAMA 334, 2079–2089 (2025).Article PubMed Google Scholar Kario, K. et al. Eur. Heart J. 42, 4111–4122 (2021).Article Google Scholar Wong, C. H. Y. et al. npj Digit. Med. 9, 657 (2026).Article PubMed Google Scholar Pierson, E. et al. N. Engl. J. Med. AI https://doi.org/10.1056/AIp2400889 (2025).Article Google Scholar Download referencesCompeting InterestsThe author declares no competing interests.SubjectsMedical researchMachine learningLatest on:Medical researchMachine learningJobs Multiple Tenure-Track Faculty Positions (Assistant, Associate, and Full Professor)Multiple Tenure-Track Faculty Positions (Assistant, Associate, and Full Professor)West Miami, Florida (US)University of Miami Miller School of MedicineDeputy Editor, Nature Progress Tissue EngineeringJob Title: Deputy Editor, Nature Progress Tissue Engineering Location: Shanghai, Beijing, Pune, New Delhi - hybrid working model Closing date: 30th...Shanghai, Beijing, Pune, New Delhi - hybrid working modelSpringer Nature LtdPostdoctoral Fellow Position – Cancer ImmunotherapiesPostdoctoral Fellow Position to study Cancer Immunology & design novel Cancer Immunotherapies @ University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore.21201, BaltimoreUniversity of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore