Beyond Dr. Google: The Rise of the AI-Enabled Patient and Caregiver

Earlier this year, the AMA published its Augmented Intelligence in Healthcare Survey, and the results were dramatic: physician utilization of AI nearly doubled in just a year (https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/physician-ai-sentiment-report.pdf). That type of adoption curve is virtually unheard of in healthcare technology. What’s more, sentiment is warming -- physicians are no longer simply tolerating AI, they’re beginning to see real advantages in how it can streamline documentation, reduce administrative drag, and even support decision-making.

In a LinkedIN piece from earlier this year, I reflected on this transformation in how HCPs are engaging with AI. But the story doesn’t end there. Because while HCPs are getting more and more comfortable with AI at work, their patients -- and the caregivers who support them -- are discovering it at home. And that is changing the dynamics of care in ways we can’t afford to ignore.

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From printouts to prompts

Over the past few decades, patients have increasingly arrived at clinics clutching printouts from the internet, quoting forums, or armed with advice from their on-line patient community. Physicians have grown accustomed to gently (or not-so-gently) correcting “Dr. Google.”

But last week, a Medscape article highlighted a shift that feels qualitatively different (https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/chatgpt-your-clinic-whos-expert-now-2025a1000lqt?ecd=WNL_trdalrt_pos1_250823_etid7664012&uac=415511DN&impID=7664012). A patient walked into an appointment describing dizziness in unusually precise language: “not vertigo, more like a presyncope feeling.” She went on to suggest a tilt table test. When asked, she admitted the source: ChatGPT.

That’s not just casual browsing. That’s a patient stepping into the exam room with medical vocabulary, clinical reasoning, and the confidence of someone who’s already rehearsed the conversation with an AI that sounds, well… human.

And this is what makes today’s reality different. Large language models aren’t just information engines. They’re companions, conversation partners, and confidence-builders. For many patients, ChatGPT isn’t just a tool. It’s becoming the doorway to the internet -- and in turn, a new partner in their healthcare journey.

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Advocacy, not antagonism

Of course, this can feel challenging to HCPs. The Medscape essay characterized the subtle defensiveness that arises when patients present themselves with authority. But beneath the surface, something deeper is going on: patients are learning to advocate for themselves.

One patient put it plainly: “This is how I can advocate for myself better.” That word, advocate, captures so much of the underlying dynamic. Patients and caregivers aren’t trying to replace their doctors. They’re trying to make sure they’re heard, taken seriously, and given agency in decisions that affect their lives. This is especially prescient in a world where, unless you have a concierge doctor, face time HCP time is increasingly limited.

It’s worth reinforcing a few key points: ChatGPT doesn’t prescribe, doesn’t sign notes, doesn’t carry legal liability. Physicians still shoulder the ultimate responsibility. But it is clear that the patient’s role is expanding -- and AI is giving them a new voice at the table.

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Why this matters for pharma, biotech, and medtech

For those of us in life sciences, this moment should feel like a wake-up call. Because just as the AMA survey showed us physicians’ attitudes toward AI are evolving rapidly, patients’ adoption of generative AI is on its own exponential trajectory.

This has at least three implications:

• The front door of engagement has shifted. If ChatGPT is where patients begin their search, then every symptom, every disease state, every medical product is being reframed through that lens. It’s no longer just about search engine optimization. It’s about conversational AI optimization.
• Empowered patients are double-edged. On the one hand, AI can make patients better partners in adherence, prevention, and shared decision-making. However, patients can also arrive with unrealistic expectations, or demands misaligned with coverage and guidelines. Navigating that tension will be part of the commercial reality.
• Analytics must broaden. Industry has invested heavily in understanding HCP sentiment, behavior, and adoption curves. The AMA survey is a great example of how valuable that data is. But now we need the same rigor in tracking patient and caregiver interactions with AI. What are they asking? In which therapeutic areas? With what confidence? These are the behavioral indicators that will shape tomorrow’s market.

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Meeting the AI-enabled patient where they are

The presence of AI in the exam room isn’t a threat. It’s an invitation. It challenges all of us -- HCPs, manufacturers, researchers, payers, policymakers -- to reimagine what a truly collaborative model of care could look like.

For pharma, biotech, and medtech leaders, that means leaning in. Understanding how ChatGPT frames conditions. Investing in clear, balanced educational content. And preparing commercial and medical affairs teams to engage with a new kind of informed, empowered, sometimes impatient, but always human patient.

The AI-enabled patient and caregiver is not a hypothetical future. They are here now. And just as we’ve invested in the science of medicine, we must invest in the science of how AI is reshaping the experience of care.

Because if “Dr. Google” redefined the last two decades of health information, “Dr. ChatGPT” will define the next. The question for our industry is simple: are we ready to meet them at the door?