ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND SELF-MEDICATION: AN ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACTS ON HEALTH BEHAVIOR

Abstract

The expansion of digital technologies has significantly changed the way people seek health-related information, especially with the growth of Artificial Intelligence-based tools. Applications, virtual assistants, search engines, and digital platforms now provide quick responses about symptoms, diseases, and treatments, influencing behaviors related to self-care and therapeutic decision-making. This study seeks to answer the following question: how does the use of Artificial Intelligence tools influence self-medication behavior and health decision-making among users? Given this issue, the study aims to analyze the impacts of Artificial Intelligence on self-medication behavior and decision-making related to health. It also seeks to identify how these tools have been used to obtain information about symptoms and treatments, investigate the relationship between the use of these technologies and self-medication practices, evaluate the possible risks associated with the use of these tools, and discuss the ethical and safety implications related to the use of Artificial Intelligence as a source of health guidance. This is a basic research study with a qualitative approach, developed through a narrative literature review. Data collection was carried out in the SciELO, LILACS, and PubMed databases using descriptors in Portuguese and English related to the proposed theme. The results showed that digital technologies directly influence practices of self-medication, self-diagnosis, and inappropriate medication use, especially among young people and frequent social media users. It is concluded that Artificial Intelligence presents important contributions to the health field; however, its use without professional supervision may increase risks to users’ safety.