Sick woman watching the thermometer and seated on the bed tommaso79 | Getty Images

Chatbots that analyze users' symptoms and offer advice are all the rage in Silicon Valley. But I had never actually used one -- until Northern California-based hospital chain Sutter Health gave me early access to a new service they've developed with Ada Health, a European tech company that is bringing its symptom-checking software to the United States. About four million people have downloaded and used Ada's app, according to its website. But in a few weeks, a version of its symptom-checking software will also be available for folks to use for free via Sutter Health's website, without needing to sign up via the app. As luck would have it -- or rather, bad luck -- I recently had a bout of what seemed like food poisoning to put it to the test. Here's how it went: I signed up with my first name, date of birth and some basic health information, like whether I'm a smoker. At that point, I started typing in my symptoms, primarily nausea and vomiting, as well as how long I'd had them. It wasn't particularly serious, so I noted that it cleared up in less than a day.

Ada Health's symptom checker Sutter Health

From there, Ada led me through a series of questions to find out more about how I was feeling. I noted that I didn't feel any abdominal bloating, dizziness, or cramping, among other symptoms. All in all, it took me about ten minutes to get through all of the prompts. That led me to a web page that listed a breakdown of plausible explanations for my ailment. The most likely was viral gastroenteritis, which is a condition that I'm told I could manage from home. But some of the others, such as irritable bowel syndrome, came with a recommendation that I see a doctor. I was planning to stay at home and I was inclined to believe the most obvious explanation, so this gave me a little extra reassurance. Had the chatbot sent me down the right path? I called up Sutter Health's chief of digital patient experience Albert Chan, to get his perspective on whether he agrees with the assessment, why he chose to work with Ada Health, and what he thinks these sort of medical AI tools will be used for in the coming years.

Smarter over time

Chan believes there's a gap in the market for technologies that can help patients figure out what to do when they get sick, which led him to reach out to Ada Health about a partnership. As Chan points out, it's not always obvious for most people whether to stay home to rest and recover, see a primary care doctor or go straight to the emergency room. "We want them to get the appropriate level of care," said Chan. Chan is also a doctor, so I briefly ran him through my symptoms and he felt that the AI had advised me well. I noted that three of the five potential diagnoses indicated that I should seek medical care, while the most likely (viral gastroenteritis) suggested that I could stay home. Chan said these tools are meant to be "advisory," rather than a replacement for a doctor or a formal diagnosis. If I got any worse, he said, I should consider seeing a doctor. I called up Ada Health's chief commercial officer Jeff Cutler, who noted that the tool is designed to learn about its users over time. "It really depends on the person, as some might take action based on the most severe decision while others are reassured by the most likely one," he said. That's why Ada lists a range of possible explanations to help patients make their choice. Cutler said that if I were using the Ada app, these recommendations would get more accurate as Ada learned more about me. (The Sutter Health version on the website is anonymous, but I can save the assessment and download the app from there.)

Chatbots won't replace doctors, but could help them