Is AI Agreement Reassuring? It Depends on What Patients Believe About AI

Abstract

People often consult online information when choosing a doctor prior to their first visit. As AI increasingly supports medical decision-making, we examined how incorporating an AI agreement cue in a doctor's online profile influences patients’ perceptions of credibility and their intention to visit. In a user study (N = 415), participants reviewed a doctor’s profile indicating 90% diagnostic agreement with either AI decision support systems or human experts. The results show that neither the AI nor the expert agreement cue significantly influences credibility perceptions or visit intention. However, among participants with low or moderate beliefs in the positive machine heuristic, or low beliefs in the negative machine heuristic, the AI agreement cue reduces perceived competence, trustworthiness, and intention to visit. These findings highlight how beliefs about AI shape user responses to the AI agreement cue and offer implications for effective self-presentation strategies for healthcare professionals collaborating with AI