More than five percent of ChatGPT messages worldwide are about health

More than five percent of all messages sent through ChatGPT worldwide deal with health topics. According to a report OpenAI shared exclusively with Axios, 40 million Americans use the chatbot daily for medical questions. Users ask it to explain medical bills, compare insurance plans, or check symptoms, often because they can't get in to see a doctor right away. OpenAI spotted this trend early and marketed GPT-5 as particularly capable for these kinds of use cases.

The report shows OpenAI now handles nearly two million insurance-related questions per week. The surge came after the Trump administration let long-standing health insurance subsidies expire at the start of the new year.

Using ChatGPT for medical advice comes with serious risks. The models still hallucinate, and many users likely rely on weaker model versions without reasoning capabilities, especially when chatting directly with the AI in voice mode, which uses a lighter model for faster responses. OpenAI's newly released promotional video doesn't mention any of these concerns.