Health Literacy in the Age of AI

Strengthening Health Literacy in the Age of AI

Imagine leaving a doctor’s appointment that you have been waiting for weeks for with a new diagnosis. You’re already overwhelmed by the number of appointments and testing done, and the doctor’s explanation only left you more confused with more questions at the end of your short appointment. This is where health literacy takes center stage.

Health literacy is the real-world ability to find, understand, and use information to make decisions about your health that do not cause harm to you or others around you. It is more than just having some knowledge; health literacy is a skill. Improving it takes time and practice, and we all must work on it as health technology changes around us. It might be tempting to dump everything into ChatGPT or Claude to see what answers they come up with, but how do you know the information they’re generating is correct? How do you know if the AI recommendations will help you?

Health Literacy & AI

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming more embedded in our healthcare system, the need for strengthening health literacy has become even more important. In 2025, the American Psychological Association put out a statement that said health misinformation is one of the biggest threats to public health. The World Health Organization has called this an “infodemic”, or an overabundance of information that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy resources and guidance when they need it most. AI’s ability to create realistic, believable content makes it increasingly more difficult for everyday users to identify what is real and what has been generated. The widespread use of AI is already contributing to the misinformation infodemic and there have been documented instances where AI systems have generated false and harmful health information.

Social media platforms have become a main source of health information and education for many adults and teens, and when people turn to influencers and content creators instead of trained providers, that increases the amount of misinformation being shared and the risk for harm.

• ChatGPT has fabricated studies and other references when asked about diagnoses that included incorrect and harmful information.[i]
• Back in January of this year, Google had to remove AI generated overviews from some health-related searches after alarms were raised over misleading medical information and a lack of reliable, verifiable citations.[ii]
• Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok have been removing millions of posts for health misinformation and AI-generated content containing harmful information.

Just because there have been some issues with AI-generated content does not mean we should completely avoid it. AI can be a powerful tool for improving health literacy but it lacks the intuition, empathy, and accountability that humans have. It must be used safely and appropriately alongside the care provided by our doctors, and that starts with educating ourselves about AI before we use it.

Tips for using AI safely

1. Learn more about AI before you use it. Before you start using AI, take some time to learn more about machine learning, how to craft strong prompts, and which platforms would meet your needs the best. There are free courses available through Microsoft, AARP, and plenty of articles from reliable sources like MIT[iii].
2. Protect your privacy. Do not share your personal health information with AI tools, especially the free versions. That includes your name, birth date, address, medical records, and insurance details. Make sure you protect your personal health information!
3. Double check the sources. Compare the AI generated information and answers against trusted sources like the American Medical Association. You can ask it to include links to the sources it uses to generate the answers to your prompts and questions.
4. Talk with a Doc first. Before you start anything or make any changes to current treatment plans recommended by AI, you should consult with your doctor first. If you don’t have a primary care provider, take some time to find someone you can trust.
5. Practice your prompts. The answers and information generated by AI are only as good as the prompts uses. You want to be specific, provide context, and build on the conversation[iv].
6. Use AI for basic health education questions. AI is a great tool for explaining basic health topics and answering basic questions. It is not meant to be a diagnostic tool and does not have the nuance and information necessary to prescribe treatment plans.
7. Check for an AI label. Before you reshare posts on social media, check if there is an AI-generated content label on the post. You might be resharing something that was hallucinated by AI.

As the medical world grows more complex with increased use of AI, being able to understand your health and navigate your care becomes a necessity. We become better equipped to ask the right questions, spot misinformation, and make choices that will allow us to live healthier, happier lives when we improve our health literacy. Building and maintaining a high level of health literacy ensures that technology serves as a helper and empowers us to become better advocates for our own wellbeing.

Resources and helpful sites

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jul/27/misleading-ai-generated-doctors-public-safety-danger-tiktok

https://www.primaryintelligence.ai/blog/ai-health-misinformation

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/can-you-trust-ai-for-health-advice/art-80010355

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41746-025-01817-6

https://blog.unmc.edu/infectious-disease/2025/12/16/understanding-health-misinformation-why-it-spreads-who-it-harms-and-what-we-can-do-about-it/

https://stars.library.ucf.edu/teachwithai/2025/thursday/103/

https://www.learningtree.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-understanding-ai/

https://mitsloanedtech.mit.edu/ai/basics/ 

About Florida Health Care Plans

Founded in 1974, Florida Health Care Plans (FHCP) is a pioneering provider of health insurance plans and comprehensive health care services, available to individuals, families, employers, and Medicare-eligible individuals.

Headquartered in Daytona Beach, FHCP was the first federally qualified Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) in Florida and the second federally qualified HMO in the Nation. As a community-based health care provider, FHCP offers members access to primary and multispecialty care, on-site pharmacies and labs, radiology, ultrasound, and other services at its integrated care centers located throughout Brevard, Flagler, St. Johns, Seminole, and Volusia Counties.

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