Over 40 million users worldwide submit medical queries to the ChatGPT chatbot daily, according to research conducted by the service's developer, OpenAI.

"More than 40 million weekly active users worldwide send healthcare-related queries to ChatGPT every day," Axios quotes an excerpt from the study.

According to OpenAI, healthcare-related queries account for over 5% of the chatbot's total volume.

The study focused on the United States, where users send ChatGPT between 1,6 million and 1,9 million health-related messages weekly. Specifically, Americans frequently turn to artificial intelligence for assistance in choosing health insurance and receiving payment recommendations for medical services. A significant portion of these requests occur during hours when medical facilities are traditionally closed.

A study conducted using the Knit platform found that over the past three months, 55% of American respondents used AI to check or research symptoms, 48% to understand medical terminology or doctor's recommendations, and another 44% to research treatment options. The study notes that the US healthcare system is highly complex, and residents require a significant amount of additional information to make informed decisions.

The survey involved 1042 adult US citizens.

OpenAI is the creator of the ChatGPT chatbot, which gained widespread popularity after its launch in late November 2022, reaching its first million users in less than seven days. American billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk was one of OpenAI's co-founders in 2015, but he later parted ways with the company.