The new ChatGPT Health is being made available to a select group of users first and will be expanded to all users on web and iOS within weeks, the artificial intelligence (AI) startup said in a Wednesday (Jan. 7) press release.
This new offering is designed to bring together each user’s health information and ChatGPT’s intelligence, supported by purpose-built encryption and isolation that will keep these conversations secure and private, according to the release.
It will enable users to connect their medical records and wellness apps so that the AI chatbot will be able to provide responses that are relevant and useful, the release said.
ChatGPT Health’s capabilities may vary by region and operating system, per the release.
“Designed in close collaboration with physicians, ChatGPT Health helps people take a more active role in understanding and managing their health and wellness — while supporting, not replacing, care from clinicians,” OpenAI said in the release.
The existing ChatGPT already fields questions about health and wellness from over 230 million people each week, making this one of the chatbot’s most common kinds of conversations, according to the release.
ChatGPT Health is designed to improve this service by providing answers based on each user’s health information and context, the release said.
The tool is meant to help people understand test results, prepare for appointments, get advice on diet and workout routines, and understand insurance options, per the release.
“Health is designed to support, not replace, medical care,” OpenAI said in the release. “It is not intended for diagnosis or treatment. Instead, it helps you navigate everyday questions and understand patterns over time — not just moments of illness — so you can feel more informed and prepared for important medical conversations.”
OpenAI’s announcement of ChatGPT Health came a day after the company released a report that found that in terms of the number of daily users, ChatGPT stands alongside primary care, urgent care and telehealth as a first stop for medical information.
The PYMNTS Intelligence report “How AI Becomes the Place Consumers Start Everything” found that 38.5% of AI users said AI has fully or mostly replaced their previous methods of managing health and wellness.
Among the nine activities included in the report, health and wellness is one of the most common uses of AI, second only to managing finances and banking.
