Concerns raised over Nova Scotia Health's AI chatbot

24 February 2026 – PDF version

Protect Our Province Nova Scotia (PoPNS), a citizens’ group, is raising concerns over Nova Scotia Health’s use of a chatbot to provide Nova Scotians with critical health-care information.

The chatbot, called Nova Virtual Assistant (“Nova”), is part of YourHealthNS, the provincial government’s flagship health-care app launched in November 2023. Nova Scotia Health (NSH) touts Nova as a source for “quick and reliable answers” to medical queries.

In a statement released today (February 24), PoPNS outlines various concerns regarding the accuracy of the accuracy of information being provided to users, the propensity for large language model (LLM) chatbots to “hallucinate”, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver unreliable health information in place of genuine health care, user privacy, potential AI training bias, and user safety and wellbeing.

The group is calling on Nova Scotia Health to cease delivering health information through a chatbot (potentially by retiring "Nova") and reallocate resources spent on so-called "artificial intelligence" chatbots to addressing tangible needs facing patients and staff.

The full statement, which has been submitted to Minister of Health Michelle Thompson and NSH, is available on the PoPNS website: www.popns.org

Related files

• Statement on Nova Scotia Health's AI chatbot "Nova" (24 February 2026)