PALO ALTO, CA — A groundbreaking new artificial intelligence diagnostic system, 'DocBot 3000,' has officially launched, with its primary function being to direct patients to perform their own online symptom searches. The developers at HealthTech Solutions claim the AI, after analyzing patient input, consistently provides the highly personalized recommendation to "consult a search engine for more information."

“We’ve leveraged cutting-edge machine learning to distill decades of medical knowledge into a single, actionable directive,” stated Dr. Evelyn Reed, lead AI ethicist for HealthTech Solutions. “Why waste valuable physician time on initial triage when a patient can simply type their symptoms into a search bar, just like they would anyway? It’s efficiency at its finest.”

Early trials show a 100% success rate in patients receiving the 'Google it' recommendation, a figure the company boasts is unprecedented in medical diagnostics. Critics, however, point out that patients were already doing this before the AI intervened. “It’s like paying for a digital assistant that tells you to check your own email,” remarked Dr. Marcus Thorne, a skeptical primary care physician.

HealthTech Solutions insists the AI adds value by formalizing the process. “We’re not just telling them to Google it; we’re telling them to Google it with the authority of advanced algorithms,” a company spokesperson clarified. “That’s a crucial distinction.”

The company is already planning an upgrade that will automatically open a browser tab to WebMD.