OpenAI has launched a new ChatGPT feature in the United States that allows users to share medical records and health app data to receive more tailored responses, prompting warnings from privacy advocates about how sensitive health information is collected and protected.
The feature, called ChatGPT Health, is designed to analyse uploaded medical records alongside data from fitness and wellness apps to provide personalised answers to health related questions. OpenAI said the tool is not intended for diagnosis or treatment.
How ChatGPT Health Works
According to OpenAI, users can voluntarily share medical records and connect data from apps such as Apple Health, Peloton, and MyFitnessPal. The system then uses that information to generate responses that better reflect a user’s health history and activity data.
OpenAI said conversations within ChatGPT Health are stored separately from other ChatGPT chats and will not be used to train its AI models. The company added that the feature includes enhanced privacy protections for sensitive health data.
The company said more than 230 million people already ask ChatGPT questions about health and wellbeing each week.
Privacy And Data Protection Concerns
Andrew Crawford of the Center for Democracy and Technology said the launch highlights the need for strict safeguards around health information.
He said AI companies are increasingly focused on personalisation to increase the value of their services, which makes the handling of health data particularly sensitive. Crawford added that strong separation between health data and other ChatGPT memories is especially important as OpenAI explores advertising as part of its business model.
Crawford also warned that in the US, companies not bound by comprehensive health privacy laws may collect and use health data in ways that put users at risk if protections are inadequate.
Availability And Regulatory Limits
OpenAI said ChatGPT Health will initially be available to a small group of early users in the US, with a waitlist open for broader access. The company has not confirmed if or when the feature will be launched in the UK.
The feature has also not been introduced in Switzerland or the European Economic Area, where stricter rules govern how companies process and store personal data.
Broader Impact And Industry Response
Generative AI tools are known to sometimes produce false or misleading information in a confident manner. Despite this, Max Sinclair, chief executive of Azoma, said OpenAI is positioning ChatGPT as a trusted source for health related guidance.
Sinclair said the launch could influence how people access medical information and make purchasing decisions related to health, and described the feature as a significant development amid growing competition from other AI systems, including Google Gemini.
OpenAI said ChatGPT Health is intended to support medical care rather than replace it, and emphasised that users choose whether to share health data.
Featured image credits: Flickr
For more stories like it, click the +Follow button at the top of this page to follow us.