When Doctors Couldn’t Solve Their Medical Mysteries, They Turned to A.I...

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When Doctors Couldn’t Solve Their Medical Mysteries, They Turned to A.I.

Some women with complex chronic illnesses are using chatbots to search for diagnoses or relief from their symptoms.

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Margie Smith, left, and Caroline Gamwell used chatbots to help them reach diagnoses.

Kaoly Gutierrez for The New York Times, Joanna McGowan for The New York Times

By

Maggie Astor

April 2, 2026,

5:00 a.m. ET

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When Margie Smith got sick in 2022, she sought help from a parade of specialists.

She saw an allergist for an intractable cough; three pulmonologists for the cough and breathlessness; an ear, nose and throat doctor for severe acid reflux; a cardiologist after she almost passed out while exercising. She got the sense that most were siloed in their specialties and couldn’t assemble the full puzzle.

Eventually, Ms. Smith, 70, of Swannanoa, N.C., turned to the A.I. chatbot Claude. Through lengthy chats, as well as a Facebook group, she concluded that she had long Covid and it was causing dysautonomia — a condition, common in post-viral syndromes, in which the body struggles to regulate functions like pulse, blood pressure, digestion and temperature.

Ms. Smith now goes to appointments with A.I. suggestions in hand, and she chooses providers in part based on whether they are receptive to its role in her decision-making. She said a combination of recommendations from doctors and from Claude had made her symptoms manageable.

“The medical system really failed me,” she said. “Is it a good thing to be depending on A.I. for medical advice? I don’t think so. But it’s the option that’s available.”

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With the help of the A.I. chatbot Claude, Ms. Smith concluded that she had long Covid, which was causing a condition called dysautonomia.

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Kaoly Gutierrez for The New York Times

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After going through a host of interventions, Ms. Smith now takes far fewer medications to manage her symptoms.

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Kaoly Gutierrez for The New York Times

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