Can AI Help You Manage Diabetes? What It Can and Can’t Do

While AI cannot replace medical care for PWD, it shouldn’t be dismissed as a potential support tool, especially when costs are a concern. Still, it’s up to you—a person with diabetes—to use it responsibly, valuing it for what it is and remembering what it isn’t.

The Rise of AI in Diabetes Care

Many PWD still face significant challenges in accessing essential healthcare providers in 2026, including endocrinologists, certified diabetes care and education specialists (CDCESs), nutritionists, therapists, etc. Appointments are often short, infrequent, or even unavailable, particularly when insurance coverage is lacking or when providers are unable to meet your specific needs.

Google searches can feel time-consuming and overwhelming. Content creators on TikTok and Instagram may share contradictory advice. All of these things make it difficult for PWD to discern the best course of action for their specific situations.

There’s too much stimulation, and we’re not even talking about the noise of diabetes that plays in your mind 24/7, 365 days per year!

Additionally, many insurance plans limit coverage to just a few appointments per year, while medical messaging systems typically offer only limited communication options. For those living with diabetes, the dual challenge of accessing and affording necessary care can feel daunting, much less interpreting the overwhelming amount of information and opinions that are available across the Web.

The diabetes care equation in 2026 is head-spinning, to say the least.  In this context, artificial intelligence (AI) tools can provide valuable support.

What is AI?

AI may help streamline areas with limited clarity.

As we know it today, AI includes large language models, chatbots, and pattern-based tools trained on existing data. 

People with diabetes may use AI today to:

• Ask questions about symptoms
• Work through relationship problems related to diabetes
• Navigate workplace dynamics with diabetes
• Learn basic diabetes terminology or slang
• Generate questions to self-advocate at doctor appointments
• Organize care information in one place
• And so on!

AI isn’t your continuous glucose monitor (CGM) or insulin pump. It does not include FDA-approved algorithms. Therefore, it cannot be used as medical advice. But it may be a helpful part of your support system if you take it with a grain of salt and don’t stop seeing your human team.

Potential Benefits of Using AI for Diabetes Support

AI can be a valuable resource if you don't have a regular endocrinologist, live in a rural area, or are newly diagnosed and feeling overwhelmed. It provides clear answers and explanations when other sources may be difficult to understand, filled with clinical jargon, or driven purely by opinions with no facts to back them up.

AI can gather various opinions and information available online, allowing you to compare topics and summarize complex ideas. It may even connect you with diabetes content creators, writers, or organizations that explain things in a way that resonates with you—getting rid of some of the fluff you don’t want to weed through yourself.

Additionally, AI can assist you in advocating for yourself by helping you formulate questions for your doctor, clarify any points of confusion, and prepare for medical discussions. This can be particularly useful if you often feel rushed or get anxious during your appointments.

For those who have been living with diabetes for a while, AI can also help reduce decision fatigue and make day-to-day management feel less overwhelming. 

AI Can’t Replace Human Connections or Care

While it's a potentially great support tool, it's important to remember that it cannot replace personal connections or professional medical advice. You might also consider using a chatbot to find support from others living with diabetes! 

Ultimately, while AI can be helpful, the human connection in your healthcare is irreplaceable. You have to establish mental guardrails for yourself while using AI.

What AI Can’t Do

Relying too much on AI for diabetes care risks misinformation, generalization, or oversimplification. Diabetes is personal and deeply human, so your support should reflect that! AI cannot interpret your lab results for you. It doesn’t understand your health history and shouldn’t be used to identify patterns in your diabetes data. 

Also, not all AI platforms handle your data privacy well, so be cautious when sharing your health history, questions, or lab results online. Be careful about what you share.

The Danger of Overreliance

Using AI to make insulin dosing decisions, inform medication changes, or analyze acute symptoms can be particularly risky. Your healthcare team should always address questions around items like these.

Overreliance on AI or its misuse can lead to dangerous health outcomes. For example, if you feel you may be at risk of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) but AI tells you differently, trust your instincts and go to the doctor! It’s always better to have peace of mind.

Do not let AI delay your medical care, and do not trust it more than your own symptoms. You know your body best! No one can replace your human doctor. Overreliance can create a false sense of authority or safety with AI. It’s important to remember that it’s just a starting point, not a final solution.

How to Use AI Responsibly with Diabetes

AI can be a valuable resource for learning diabetes terminology, simplifying basic concepts, and preparing for your appointments. However, it should never be relied upon for making insulin dosing decisions, diagnosing symptoms, or replacing human care.

Always verify the information it provides. Be sure to ask your healthcare providers to confirm any information you receive from AI. These are just a couple of examples of the mental guardrails you can set to keep yourself safe with this technology!

Conducting mental check-ins with yourself after using is also important.

If you find that your symptoms worsen after using AI, you feel more confused than before, or you experience increased emotional distress, these are signs that it may not be effective for you. 

Stay Curious and Skeptical with AI

At the end of the day, AI won’t fix all of your problems or give you a reason to stop seeing your doctor. It can be equal parts harmful and helpful—context and intention matter. What you feed it also counts!

Whenever you use AI, it’s important to stay curious, be skeptical, and stay connected to real humans, especially when your survival is at risk with diabetes.