Nine.com.au readers divided over new addition to GP visits

Wednesday, 20 May 2026 05:36

More than a third are opposed to it, but an almost identical number are in favour.

Exclusive: Australians are divided over the use of AI tools in medical settings as they become increasingly common in GP appointments and offices.

About 40 per cent of Aussie GPs are already using AI to take notes and thousands will soon have access to a new medical search tool powered by AI.

An exclusive nine.com.au survey of nearly 1200 readers revealed that more than a third are comfortable with the spike in AI tools being used in healthcare.

"I think perhaps this is one area where it is useful," one told nine.com.au.

About the same number of people were opposed to AI tools being used in their GP appointments.

Many cited privacy concerns and fears about AI hallucinations, wherein AI tools present false information as correct.

"I do not trust AI at this point in time [and] the process is too new for GPs or others to rely on it," one person said.

Dr Michael Wright, President of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), previously told nine.com.au that GPs are looking closely at how they can use AI.

Have you got a story? Contact reporter Maddison Leach at mleach@nine.com.au

Shot of female doctor working with her computer in medical consultation.

The RACGP is especially focused on making sure AI tools are used safely and with patient care at the forefront.

"It's certainly not something that anyone should feel like is being forced upon them," he said.

One of the most common ways GPs are already using AI is to take notes during appointments, which nearly half of nine.com.au readers are OK with.

Several said the tools slashed wait times and let GPs focus on their patients.

"My specialist has used AI as a dictation tool for a while," one told nine.com.au.

"It's better that than having to wait for 10 or 15 minutes while the doctor writes up notes before the next patient."

Just over 30 per cent of respondents were against AI note-taking in GP appointments.

"Using AI tools for notes I see as an invasion of privacy as I don't know where the notes going," one said.

Nine.com.au readers were similarly divided over GPs using AI search tools to look up medical information during appointments.

More than 40 per cent were on board; an almost identical number opposed.

"There is so much info available with the help of AI so we may as well utilise it, and in the process save a lot of time researching manually," one reader in favour said.

Readers on the opposing side said they expect their GP to have a broad medical knowledge without having to rely on AI search tools.

"A GP should know what's going on in the medical world, that's why they studied for years and years," one said.

Another asked how GPs can be certain the information they get from AI is accurate.

"Will doctors blame the AI if something goes wrong?" they said.

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