AI is rewriting the healthcare journey. Is your content being left behind?
Over 230 million people ask health and wellness questions globally on ChatGPT every week, making health one of the most common ways the platform is used today. In Australia, around 10 percent of adults reported using ChatGPT for health-related questions in early 2024 (MJA, 2025). Broader generative AI adoption is rising, with nearly 46 percent of Australians reporting recent use of AI tools, suggesting that health-related usage is likely to grow as familiarity and comfort with these technologies increases.
At the same time, AI-generated health overviews on Google are reducing traffic to traditional websites, with reports showing up to a 79% drop in organic clicks when an AI summary appears above search results. Conversational AI interfaces prioritise a single, consolidated narrative rather than multiple options, meaning influence is no longer only about how your website ranks on Google Search, but whether credible, evidence-based information is included in the response itself.
This has important implications for pharmaceutical brands. While prescription information remains gated and highly regulated, AI increasingly shapes what healthcare professionals and patients understand before they access brand-approved materials. High-quality, unbranded disease education and general clinical resources are essential, even for HCP audiences. Publicly accessible materials ensure AI publishes accurate information, helping HCPs and patients be better informed and engaged when consulting gated or brand-approved content. Producing more clear, structured, and accessible content is now critical in a discovery environment where traditional search ranking is less reliable.
Platforms themselves are evolving in how they monetise AI interactions. OpenAI has begun testing advertising in ChatGPT for logged-in adults in the U.S. on free and ChatGPT Go plans, with ads displayed below responses when there is a relevant sponsored product or service, but not influencing the AI’s answers. Health and other sensitive topics, including mental health, are excluded from ad placements for now, and paid subscriptions remain ad-free. This marks a broader shift in how conversational AI experiences may be funded and structured, and pharmaceutical brands should be aware that platform economics and interface behaviour are now part of the healthcare information ecosystem.
AI health tools are not replacing clinicians, diagnosis, or established care pathways, but they are influencing what people know and expect before consulting clinical or brand resources. Brands that continue with unchanged media strategies risk being optimised for a model that no longer reflects how health information is discovered. The opportunity is to treat content not just as a marketing asset, but as part of a broader healthcare information strategy and ecosystem where trust, accuracy, context, and accessibility increasingly determine impact.
As AI continues to reshape how health information is discovered, Swordfish Group has been pioneering new pathways to help healthcare brands get the best out of these new opportunities and stay ahead. If you’d like to learn more, let’s connect.
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