AI tools have the potential to help people find health information and improve their care. But there are worries about the risk of misinformation. Liver UK has joined other top health charities to urge the government to act. We want to make sure everyone can find reliable, evidence-based health information online.
This week we have signed an open letter to Kanishka Narayan, the Minister for AI. The letter was led by the Patient Information Forum (PIF). Other organisations involved include Macmillan, Cancer Research UK, Marie Curie, and the British Heart Foundation.
We are calling on the UK Government to create safety standards for AI-generated health information. We want to see AI companies working with the health system, regulators, and organisations like ours. Together we can ensure that AI health information is based on trusted, UK sources. We want to make sure that people using AI get information about support services. And that there is proper monitoring of the impact of AI-generated information on patient safety and health inequalities.
The need for action is growing. More and more of us are using AI chatbots and searches to answer health questions. Often without visiting the website the information has come from.
Recent evidence highlights the scale of the challenge:
- 6 in 10 UK clinicians say they have had to correct AI-generated misinformation
- 4 in 10 people reported seeing misleading health information online in late 2025. This is up from just 1 in 10 in 2023.
- More than 1 in 3 people aged 18-24 know someone who has experienced serious harm after making a health decision based on false or misleading information.
For charities like Liver UK, this is becoming an increasingly important issue. We work with patients, families and medical experts on all our information. We are regularly assessed through the PIF TICK quality mark. This all means our information is accurate, up to date and reflects the real-life experiences of people with liver disease in the UK. All our information also links people to support services. This could be our own groups, our helpline, or relevant services from the NHS and other charities.
AI-generated answers are not created in the same way. But they still appear authoritative. They do not always prioritise trusted sources or make it clear where information has come from. They can present information from other countries that is not correct for people in the UK. And they may not signpost to the wider information and support that we know so many people value.
For people with liver disease, good information is vital. Decisions about symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and ongoing care can have serious consequences. Being able to have informed conversations with your doctor can make a huge difference.
Everyone should be able to trust the information they receive. This is why Liver UK supports calls to set safety standards for AI health information.
Vanessa Hebditch, Director of Communications and Policy at Liver UK, said:
“AI has the potential to transform access to health information, but only if the information people receive is accurate, trustworthy and evidence-based. We are increasingly seeing patients use AI tools to answer questions about their health, yet there are currently no consistent safeguards to ensure those answers come from reliable sources. For people affected by liver disease, misinformation can lead to delayed diagnosis, inappropriate action and avoidable harm. That’s why we are supporting calls for a UK-wide framework that puts patient safety first and ensures trusted health information can be easily found and accessed.”
How you can help
We need the UK Government to take action.
Please share the open letter with your networks and help raise awareness of the need for trusted, evidence-based health information in the age of AI.
Read and share the campaign here: https://pifonline.org.uk/resources/safer-health-ai/
