Host lede: 
The use of artificial intelligence to answer health questions is increasing. But experts say the public should be cautious about overreliance on the technology. N-W-P-B's Rachel Sun reports.
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About a third of patients say they've used artificial intelligence for health advice. That's according to the Kaiser Family Foundation - a nonprofit focused on national health issues.

Shawn Murphy is a professor of neurology and biomedical informatics at the University of Washington. He says AI can allow patients to research specific topics faster, and have more informed conversations with their doctor.

MURPHY: "It really is very helpful that way."

But AI is also trained by the internet. So, even the best programs can get things wrong.

MURPHY:  "I'm a little bit cautious, though, when folks talk about using it just straight off the internet. Because it could get something like the dose of medication you should use wrong."

That has happened. The family of a Seattle woman recently sued OpenAI after she died following misguided advice from ChatGPT to taper off her epilepsy medication.

Murphy says there are also potential risks to sharing sensitive health information with a chatbot. 

MURPHY: "Most companies don't even understand themselves all the different ways that people's privacy can be implicated ... But what you don't understand sometimes is how all those numbers actually contain private information on patients."

I'm Rachel Sun, reporting.