OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health as millions seek medical advice weekly

OpenAI has unveiled a new feature called ChatGPT Health, designed to give users a dedicated space to discuss health and wellness topics with its AI chatbot.

The Sam Altman-led company noted that health-related questions are already a major use case on ChatGPT, with more than 230 million users asking about medical or wellness concerns every week. 

ChatGPT Health aims to better organise these conversations by separating them from general chats, ensuring sensitive health-related context does not appear in unrelated interactions.

If a user begins discussing health matters outside the Health section, ChatGPT will prompt them to move the conversation into the dedicated space. 

Within ChatGPT Health, the AI can still draw limited context from other interactions. For instance, if a user previously discussed marathon training, the system may recognise them as a runner when addressing fitness goals.

The new feature can also connect with data from wellness platforms such as Apple Health, Function, and MyFitnessPal. 

OpenAI stressed that conversations within ChatGPT Health will not be used to train its AI models.

In a blog post, Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of Applications, said the tool is meant to address challenges in healthcare, including high costs, limited access to doctors, and fragmented care.

However, OpenAI cautioned that ChatGPT Health is not a replacement for professional medical advice.