OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Health, 230M Weekly Health Queries Revealed
▼ Summary
– OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Health, a dedicated section for health-related conversations, separating them from general chats.
– The feature can integrate personal data from apps like Apple Health but will not use these conversations to train its AI models.
– OpenAI designed it to address healthcare issues like cost barriers and doctor shortages, according to a company executive.
– The AI may reference prior general conversations for context but is not intended for medical diagnosis or treatment.
– A key limitation is that AI models can produce incorrect information, as they predict likely responses rather than factual truths.
OpenAI has introduced a new, dedicated platform called ChatGPT Health, designed specifically for handling user inquiries related to medical and wellness topics. This move comes in response to the staggering volume of health-related questions already being posed to the AI, with the company revealing that over 230 million people ask health and wellness questions on the platform each week. The new product creates a separate, contained environment for these sensitive conversations, ensuring that personal health context does not inadvertently appear in a user’s general chats with the chatbot.
The system is designed to guide users toward this dedicated space. If someone begins discussing a medical issue outside the Health section, the AI will gently prompt them to move the conversation to the appropriate area. Once inside ChatGPT Health, the assistant can leverage relevant context from a user’s broader interaction history. For instance, if you previously asked for help creating a marathon training plan in a standard chat, the AI would recognize you as a runner when you later discuss fitness goals within the Health platform.
A significant aspect of the new feature is its planned ability to connect with personal data from popular wellness applications. ChatGPT Health will also be able to integrate with your personal information or medical records from wellness apps like Apple Health, Function, and MyFitnessPal. OpenAI has emphasized that conversations held within ChatGPT Health will have strict privacy protections and will not be used to train the company’s underlying AI models.
Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of Applications, framed the launch as an attempt to address persistent problems in healthcare. She pointed to issues like high costs, limited access to care, overburdened medical professionals, and fragmented patient experiences as challenges the tool could help mitigate. However, the use of AI for medical guidance introduces its own set of complexities. Large language models function by predicting probable responses based on patterns in data, not by discerning factual accuracy, which can lead to incorrect or fabricated information known as hallucinations.
OpenAI’s own terms of service include a crucial disclaimer, clearly stating that its models are “not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of any health condition.” This underscores the tool’s role as a supplementary resource rather than a replacement for professional medical advice. The ChatGPT Health feature is scheduled to become available to users in the next few weeks.
(Source: TechCrunch)
