Paging Doctor Robo
After a tumultuous 2025 in healthcare marketing, we started 2026 with a seismic shift: On January 8th, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Health, allowing consumers to connect medical records to AI. The announcement sparked fierce debate and concern over data protection, security, and misdiagnosis. But were those voicing concerns actually a vocal minority?
In the weeks leading up to this announcement, we surveyed 1,099 Americans to understand how they use and trust different sources for health information, and how they expect those search behaviors to change through 2028. The results revealed a market already in transition.
The ecosystem is now defined less by channel dominance and more by roles, trust, and interpretation. Efficiency and attribution remain important, but they’re no longer sufficient. Influence increasingly depends on credibility, audience-specific journeys, and how information is understood as much as where it’s found.
What Performance Marketers Need to Know
Performance is no longer captured by controlling a single channel. It’s shaped by how channels work together to move audiences toward confidence and action.
The shifts outlined in this report change what “performance” actually means. As health information journeys fragment and trust consolidates, traditional optimization frameworks become incomplete. We explore what’s changing and what to do about it.
01
AI has reached critical mass, but users aren’t verifying what it tells them.
38%
of Americans use AI for health information at least weekly
AI has already reached habit-level use for health information.
Artificial intelligence has crossed a critical threshold in how Americans seek health information, with AI healthcare search trends indicating a dramatic shift from experimentation to routine behavior for a meaningful portion of the population. The latest AI health information statistics confirm what many in the industry have observed: AI is increasingly embedded within the health information ecosystem.
02
Search is rebalancing, losing exclusivity while remaining foundational.
13%
decline in frequent usage of search engines for health information projected by 2028
Search occupies a clear leadership position today, but usage is softening.
Search engines remain the dominant entry point for health and medical information in the United States. Nearly all Americans use search at least occasionally when seeking health information, and it continues to rank as the most frequently used source overall. For many people, search is the reflexive starting point, especially when questions feel urgent or unfamiliar.
03
Social hits a trust ceiling with high visibility but limited authority.
10%
average platform decline in frequent use for health information projected by 2028
Even the most trusted social platform trails provider and medical sites by a wide margin.
Social media remains deeply embedded in how Americans encounter health information, but its role is constrained by a persistent trust ceiling. Despite high visibility and frequent use among certain audiences, social platforms struggle to convert reach into credibility. This limitation shapes how, when, and whether social content ultimately influences health decisions.
04
Official sources are gaining ground as trust consolidates around accountability.
21%
projected growth in usage for government health sites by 2028
Official health sources rank among the most trusted destinations for health information across all age groups.
As social media encounters a trust ceiling and AI introduces new verification challenges, patient online search behavior shows Americans are increasingly gravitating toward sources that signal expertise, legitimacy, and accountability. This shift is not subtle. It represents a measurable reallocation of attention toward official health sources, including healthcare provider sites, medical websites, and government health resources.
05
Age determines everything as younger and older audiences follow completely different journeys.
41%
average platform usage for finding health information by Gen X + Gen Y
Sources for medical and health information concentrate tremendously as people age.
Health information search behavior in the United States is not converging. It is diverging. While the overall market shows clear structural shifts, age is the strongest predictor of how individuals actually seek, evaluate, and trust health information.
Legal Disclaimer: The information in this communication should not be construed as legal advice on any matter. Wheelhouse DMG is not providing any legal opinions regarding the compliance of any solution or other laws and regulations. Any determination as to whether a particular solution meets applicable compliance requirements is the sole responsibility or the client and should be made after consulting with their own legal counsel.
