New Delhi, Sept. 11 -- Not too long ago, any medical "diagnosis" began at home, with grandmothers and aunts prescribing cures for everything from colds to burns. Soon after, the neighbourhood doctor became the ultimate authority, even if his magic fix was an electrolyte shot for every ailment. Then came the internet, and WebMD turned every sneeze into a death sentence.

Cut to 2025, and generative AI has stepped into that role, dishing out instant answers for everything from scratches to suspicious moles, and, perhaps most importantly, offering the kind of validation that overthinkers like me once sought from the best doctors in town. As of March 2025, India made up 27.4% of users on Docus.ai's symptom checker, second only to the US. With...