A headache, an unusual blood test result, or a new medicine can quickly send people to ChatGPT looking for answers. But doctors in the UAE told Khaleej Times that there is a line between using AI to understand your health and relying on it when medical care is needed.
The warning comes as more people turn to artificial intelligence for health information. The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust and Health found that 59 per cent of UAE respondents use AI to manage their health, compared with a global average of 35 per cent.
Doctors said that AI can be useful for answering basic questions, explaining medical terms, and helping patients prepare for an appointment. However, it cannot examine a patient, understand the full medical history, or make important treatment decisions.
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What can you safely ask?
Dr Birjis Shaikh, specialist internal medicine and head of emergency department at Aster Cedars Hospital and Clinic, Jebel Ali said that patients are using AI for a wide range of questions.
They ask what could be causing their symptoms, whether a condition could be serious, what an abnormal blood test means, whether they need antibiotics and what side effects a medicine may have.
“AI can be useful for understanding common conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma. It can also explain common blood tests, provide general information about diet and exercise, and help people understand what symptoms they should discuss with their doctor,” said Dr Sheikh.
However, doctors said that there are limits. “AI should not be relied on to diagnose serious illnesses, interpret complex scans or pathology reports, prescribe medicines or make major treatment decisions,” she said.
When should you stop asking ChatGPT?
Some symptoms should not lead to another question on a chatbot. They should lead to medical care.
Dr Shaikh said: “Chest pain or pressure, especially if the pain spreads to the arm, jaw, back or shoulder, needs urgent attention. The same applies to severe breathing difficulty, loss of consciousness, seizures, sudden weakness or numbness, difficulty speaking, sudden vision problems or a severe sudden headache.”
Other warning signs include coughing up large amounts of blood, severe bleeding, blue lips or fingertips, high fever with confusion or breathing difficulty, severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting and a serious allergic reaction.
In such situations, she said patients should seek immediate medical attention rather than depend on AI.
When waiting becomes dangerous
Dr Shaikh recalled treating a patient who had fever and cough for five days but continued using symptomatic treatment and home remedies instead of seeking medical care.
The patient finally visited a doctor on the sixth day. Tests showed that the patient had pneumonia and needed to be admitted to hospital.
Cases like this show one of the biggest risks of relying too heavily on online advice — it can delay medical treatment when a patient’s condition is becoming more serious.
AI can explain, but it cannot diagnose
Dr Najeeb Salah Abdulrahman, specialist gastroenterologist at International Modern Hospital Dubai, said AI can be particularly helpful when patients are trying to understand difficult medical language.
“People can use it to explain terminology in a report, learn more about a condition or prepare questions before meeting their doctor,” said Dr Abdulrahman.
However, symptoms cannot always be understood on their own. “For example, abdominal pain can have many causes. We consider a patient’s age, medical history, medication, diet, other symptoms and examination findings before deciding what may be wrong. Blood tests, scans, endoscopy or other investigations may also be needed.”
A chatbot does not have all of that information. Dr Abdulrahman offered a simple rule for patients using AI for their health: “Use AI to help you ask better questions, not to give yourself the final diagnosis.”
Despite the rapid adoption of AI, the Edelman survey found that trust in doctors remains high in the UAE. Around 89 per cent of respondents said they trust their doctor to tell them the truth about health issues.
AI may help people understand their health better, doctors said, but when symptoms are serious, the safest next step is still a medical professional.
Source: Khaleej Times
