Three of four leading artificial intelligence-powered search tools accurately identified home blood pressure monitors that met validated clinical standards only 63% to 83% of the time, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2026. The meeting, held in Arlington, Virginia, October 7-11, 2026, is a premier scientific exchange focused on high blood pressure research.
High blood pressure affects more than 125 million U.S. adults, about 47%, according to the American Heart Association’s 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update. Only about 1 in 4 of those adults have their blood pressure within the target range of less than 120/80 mm Hg. The 2025 American Heart Association Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults recommends using a home blood pressure monitor validated for accuracy. People can check www.validatebp.org for more information.
With AI-powered search tools now integrated into online platforms, many people ask them to verify whether home health devices like blood pressure monitors have passed clinical validation. A monitor is considered validated when independent, third-party testing proves it gives consistently accurate readings, and three primary registries list these devices. The analysis found AI chatbots unreliable at this task.
“We found that most AI tools performed only slightly better than if you had flipped a coin for each question. Even Google Gemini, which performed best, was often wrong and couldn’t find information that is easily located,” said Anna Soriano, M.D., a third-year internal medicine resident at the University of Montreal and the study’s presenting author. “People may unknowingly think a device is validated based on the AI tool’s inaccurate responses. Using that device may result in inaccurate blood pressure readings, which could lead to an inappropriate diagnosis or treatment decisions,” she added.
Researchers tested 324 home blood pressure monitors in Canada during April-May 2026—145 validated and 179 not-validated devices—drawn from three registries (StrideBP, ValidateBP and Hypertension Canada), a list of known non-validated devices, and top-selling monitors on Amazon in Canada, Australia and the U.S. They queried four AI tools: Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT and Perplexity. Google Gemini scored highest, answering correctly 86% to 91% of the time depending on question phrasing. Correct responses from ChatGPT, Copilot and Perplexity ranged from only about 63% to 83%. All four tools were less accurate at identifying validated monitors versus unvalidated ones. When retesting devices with mixed results, the same AI tool often gave different answers on different days or computers.
“It is surprising, and almost counterintuitive, that AI tools had so much difficulty specifically identifying validated devices, since those devices are the ones with clear listings on official registries,” Soriano said. “In many cases, the AI tools found the blood pressure monitor was listed within an official website, however, it seems AI was not able to interpret being listed on the registry as proof of validation.”
Keith C. Ferdinand, M.D., FAHA, an American Heart Association volunteer expert and vice chair of the Association’s 2025 High Blood Pressure Guideline, said, “The potential shortcomings of AI demonstrated by this study’s results should remind clinicians and the public that the use of AI for clinical decision-making requires caution. In addition, home blood pressure devices need to be both validated [listed on the national registry validatebp.org] and accurate. With the proper technique and regular monitoring, readings from home BP devices are a valuable component of integrated, individual treatment plans that can improve patient care and outcomes.” Ferdinand was not involved in the study.
A limitation is that results may change as AI technology improves. Researchers used private browsing sessions to limit learning, but this could not fully prevent language model training. The abstract will be presented at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, October 8, 2026. Abstracts presented at American Heart Association scientific meetings are not peer-reviewed and are considered preliminary until published as a full manuscript. The abstracts will be published in the Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2026 Supplement of the Hypertension journal. Additional resources include a release link with multimedia and a video interview, and a prior news release on Cuffless blood pressure technologies in wearable devices show promise to transform care.
