Eve Appeal warns AI symptom checkers miss gynaecological cancer red flags

The Eve Appeal has warned that a commonly used AI platform can give dangerous answers to questions about gynaecological cancer symptoms. The charity said the platform missed red flags and gave incorrect information about screening, which could lead women to delay seeking help. It warned that relying on AI in this way could be fatal.

Almost 600,000 women are on gynaecology waiting lists in England. Against that backlog, the charity has launched its own online tool, Ask Eve Assist, to offer trusted information. It says the tool provides responsible information and can put women in contact with a nurse.

GP Dr Raj Arora, who specialises in women's health, said delayed diagnosis is already a gap in women's health care and that AI carries a risk of false reassurance. She said an Ask Eve survey found that key red flags for ovarian and vulva cancers were not flagged as red flags. Instead, symptoms could be given a different diagnosis, not a gynaecological cancer.

She said about one in 10 women use such tools to diagnose themselves or to get information online. She called responsible AI the way forward and said women should check where information comes from and not follow it blindly. AI can be useful as a preliminary information point, she said, for keeping a symptom diary or preparing questions before an appointment. But it should not delay diagnosis or replace a doctor's appointment.

Dr Arora said women should know what is normal for them and watch for unusual, persistent or recurring symptoms. She listed unexplained weight loss, loss of appetite and irregular bleeding as possible red flags. She urged anyone who is worried to see a GP, because doctors are trained to ask about family history, how symptoms have progressed, other conditions and risk. AI can give information, she said, but it does not see the whole picture.