Concern is growing over pet owners asking AI bots what’s wrong with their animal.
Most people have turned to Google once or twice to search for a symptom when feeling unwell, but end up with an answer that often leaves them even more worried.
An increasing number of pet owners are doing this for their pets, according to the animal charity RSPCA.
AI is being used to check symptoms and for advice instead of trained vets, often in a bid to save cash as costs have soared.
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RSPCA named the growing use of chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini as one of its top concerns.
Around 10% of pet owners now use AI sources for pet care advice across the UK. In the South East of England, around 9% of pet owners are said to be turning to AI, RSPCA’s new animal kindness index reveals.
The most common queries to tools like Gemini and Grok were for checking symptoms for an unwell pets, followed by behaviour and body language questions.
While chatbots can be a useful tool in some cases, they could become a ‘ticking time bomb’, RSPCA said.
It fears pet owners are looking for a quick fix because of costly vet visits, with around 55% of pet owners concerned about affording vets bills.
Have you used AI to ask about pet’s symptoms or behaviour?
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Reliance on the chatbot’s answers could lead to complacency and even pet owners unknowingly breaking the law if they don’t seek treatment for a sick or suffering pet.
TV vet Rory Cowlam, known for his CBBC series, admitted that he uses AI tools at his clinic all the time as they can support investigations or lab work.
He said: ‘But there is a massive difference between a vet using clinical AI to support an examination, and a pet owner using a text chatbot to skip one entirely.
‘Animals are hardwired to hide their pain, and AI on our smartphone screens can’t feel a bloated stomach, test failing kidneys, or spot the subtle signs of suffering.
‘AI can be a great tool for brainstorming general pet tips, like how to keep your pet entertained, or enrichment ideas.
‘But when your animal is genuinely sick, a chatbot is not where you should be looking for advice. If in doubt, log out from AI and reach out to a professional.’
Gemma Hope, RSPCA assistant director of policy, said: ‘Whether we like it or not, AI is a game changer – including for animal welfare.
‘And it can be one of many helpful tools responsible pet owners use to understand their animals, and to or to get tips on things like enrichment, play time ideas and more.
‘But we’re worried that, with so many pet owners now using large language models to check the symptoms of poorly pets, or query behavioural challenges, this could be an inadvertent ticking time bomb for animal welfare.
‘AI chat bots cannot physically examine an animal, check their bloods, or understand the fast-moving changes that occur when a pet is in pain.’
AI use has also been linked to animal cruelty content. Of the 27% of people who saw animal abuse material online in the past year, 13% suspected it was AI-generated.
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