Four in ten Swiss use AI for self-diagnosis

The Swiss population is now using AI chatbots for health-related enquiries twice as much as they did a year ago. According to the latest CSS Health Study, four in ten Swiss people use artificial intelligence (AI) when they experience symptoms of illness.

Within a year, the use of AI assistants rose from 20% to 42% of respondents. AI chatbots were used to help with both physical and mental health symptoms, the study conducted by the Sotomo research institute said.

Usage also rose sharply across all age groups: 62% of young adults relied on the chatbot’s diagnosis. Among the over-65s, the figure stood at 30%, compared with just 10% last year.

More than a quarter of those surveyed ranked AI chatbots among their most important sources of health information. According to the study, however, AI chatbots were not a substitute for doctors or one’s personal support network. The study’s findings suggest they are viewed more as an additional source of information.

Respondents generally feel healthier

Overall, respondents felt healthier than they did last year. Fewer people described themselves as feeling unwell or ill.

The study cites poor or insufficient sleep as the most common cause of poor health. Last year’s survey had already shown that Swiss people sleep poorly – at that time, only a fifth of respondents stated that they did not have regular sleep problems.

For the first time since the study series began in 2020, the population rated dietary habits as just as important a factor in illness as genetic predisposition: 59% of respondents cited these factors as indicators of serious illness.

According to the study, only one in five people actually manages to eat the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables. Respondents cited ingrained habits, a lack of motivation and a lack of time as barriers to a healthier diet.

For the study, the Sotomo research institute surveyed 2,459 people from German-, French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland on behalf of the CSS health insurance group.

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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.