CMA Study Finds Canadians Turn to AI for Health Advice

February 10, 2026

Growing skepticism erodes trust in traditional sources of health information

According to a new survey commissioned by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) and conducted by Abacus Data, released earlier this week, about half of Canadians are turning to AI for health advice and they’re getting answers that can put them in danger.

The CMA’ s 2026 Health and Media Tracking Survey asked 5,000 Canadians a series of questions about where they get their health information and what sources they consider reliable. Nearly all survey respondents—eighty-nine per cent—reported they look for health information online because it’s the quickest path to find answers.

While only 27 per cent said they trust AI to give accurate health information, about half—52 per cent—turn to AI for information about a particular condition or a symptom; 48 per cent used AI for treatment advice. Those who followed the advice they got from AI were five times more likely to say they experienced an adverse reaction or negative effect on their health as a result.

This is the CMA’s third annual health and media survey and once again, it describes a health information ecosystem where trust continues to erode.

Most Canadians—77 per cent—say they’re worried about health misinformation flowing out of the United States. This is increasing skepticism, eroding trust in Canadian news media by 16 per cent, a dramatic decline.

Canadians are less trusting of news organizations and provincial public health agencies when it comes to getting accurate health information. Two out of three say they see misleading health information—that’s up two to three points from last year and is becoming a universal issue over every generation—from the youngest to the oldest in our population. Forty per cent are neutral, skeptical, or outright distrusting of scientific studies.

Almost half of the survey respondents said misinformation has led them to be skeptical of the advice they get from health care providers. More Canadians are turning to family members for reliable health care guidance. Still, most say they “fully trust” or “generally believe” health care practitioners who they see as experts who can help them navigate the flood of online information.