Health information, wisely – using AI safely for health questions

What is AI good for in health matters?

Chat-style AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini are good at explaining things simply. For health questions they are most useful in three situations:

• Understanding terms. What do "hypertension", "LDL cholesterol" or "atrial fibrillation" mean? AI explains in plain language.
• Preparing for an appointment. AI helps you gather your symptoms and questions into a list so a short appointment covers what matters most.
• General background. For example, what exercise does for blood pressure, how seasonal flu usually runs its course, or how to prepare for surgery in general terms.

What AI is not for: making a diagnosis, choosing treatment, starting, stopping or changing the dose of medicines, or judging how urgent something is.

Why you can't trust AI blindly

AI produces text that sounds expert. But it does not examine you, cannot see the whole picture and does not know your medical history. It can also be wrong in a confident voice: inventing a study, mixing up two medicines or giving out-of-date information. In medicine the details decide everything, and that is exactly where AI can slip.

AI also tries to be helpful. If you ask a leading question – "this isn't anything serious, is it?" – it may reassure you even when the symptom should be checked. Read more in What AI can't do.

Understanding terms and lab results

After an appointment you may wonder what the doctor actually meant. Or a lab result appears in My Kanta, full of abbreviations and reference ranges. AI can explain what a measurement generally indicates and what a reference range means.

Notice that the prompt contains no name, identity code or personal results. A general explanation doesn't need them. What your own result means is for your doctor to explain, because it depends on your age, other conditions and medication.

Preparing for a doctor's appointment

Appointments are often short, and many people remember their most important question only on the way out. AI helps you organise your thoughts beforehand. Write freely about what has happened and ask it to structure it.

Print the list or keep it on your phone. Doctors appreciate patients who describe their symptoms clearly. You can also ask AI for questions to ask about a new medicine: how to take it, which side effects to watch for and when to get in touch.

If Finnish is not your first language, AI can also help you prepare key sentences in Finnish or Swedish to describe your symptoms. You still have the right to ask for an interpreter for important appointments.

Lifestyle and everyday health

AI is also a handy helper when you want to make everyday life a little healthier. It can suggest a gentle walking plan for beginners, lower-salt everyday meals or an evening routine for better sleep. Mention any limitations, such as joint problems, and ask for a gradual pace.

Don't share identifiable health data carelessly

Health information is especially sensitive. When you type into an AI service, your text goes to the provider's servers. Depending on the settings, conversations may be stored and used to improve the service.

• Leave out your name, identity code, address, patient number and specific details of where you are treated.
• Don't upload full My Kanta printouts, discharge summaries or referrals that show your personal details.
• Write in general terms: "a woman in her sixties" often works just as well as your name.
• Check the settings: many services let you stop conversations being used for training and delete your chat history.
• Other people's data: don't share a relative's health details in an identifiable way without their permission.

Read more in Security and privacy.

Medicines, supplements and "miracle cures"

AI can give general information about medicines, but interactions, dosage and stopping a medicine are questions for your doctor and pharmacist. In Finland you can ask a pharmacist without an appointment, and they can see your overall medication if needed.

Helpful for carers, too

If you look after an ageing parent or a relative with a long-term illness, AI can help you understand how a condition usually progresses, come up with questions for a care meeting or write a clear message to the wellbeing services county. It can also outline what kinds of support generally exist for informal carers, so you know what to ask about. For ways of using AI that suit older people, see AI for seniors.

A search tool that shows its sources, such as Perplexity, makes it easier to check where information comes from. Open the sources and see whether they are trustworthy, such as government or university hospital websites.

A rule of thumb

At its best, AI is like a patient acquaintance who has read a lot and is happy to explain. But decisions about your health are made together with a healthcare professional.