OpenAI just launched ChatGPT Health, a new feature that lets you connect your medical records and wellness apps directly to ChatGPT. The goal is to help you get personalized health insights grounded in your actual data.
The new feature integrates with Apple Health, MyFitnessPal, and Function, with medical record connectivity available in the U.S. OpenAI says ChatGPT Health will help you understand test results, prepare for doctor appointments, and navigate insurance options. They’ve been building this for two years with input from 260 physicians across 60 countries. They promise your health data won’t be used to train their models.
There are some non-trivial issues to understand. When your health data sits with your doctor or insurer, HIPAA protects it. When you voluntarily upload it to OpenAI, HIPAA doesn’t apply. OpenAI is not a covered entity. Your medical records on their servers exist in a regulatory gap that traditional healthcare privacy laws don’t reach.
The FDA is taking a hands-off approach. Commissioner Marty Makary told Fox Business that if software is “simply providing information,” companies can operate without FDA regulation. That’s the key phrase: providing information. Not diagnosing. Not treating. Just informing. OpenAI has positioned ChatGPT Health precisely in that safe harbor.
This is a data play wrapped in a wellness wrapper. OpenAI already has 40 million daily users asking health questions. Now, they’re offering to make those conversations more useful if you give them your actual health data. Is this a good trade?
Author’s note: This is not a sponsored post. I am the author of this article and it expresses my own opinions. I am not, nor is my company, receiving compensation for it. This work was created with the assistance of various generative AI models.