OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health with physician-designed safety and privacy controls

by

I’m really excited about OpenAI’s new thing, ChatGPT Health! It’s basically ChatGPT, but designed to safely use your health info to help you understand what’s going on with your body and manage your health better. It sounds like a really helpful way to get personalized insights!

ChatGPT is already widely used for health and wellness information, with over 230 million people around the world asking it health questions every week, according to the company.

ChatGPT Health takes this a step further by letting users link their medical records and health apps. This allows the AI to give advice based on your specific health information, instead of just general knowledge.

A dedicated space for health conversations

ChatGPT Health is a dedicated section within the app, functioning like a completely separate conversation space. It has its own memory and stronger privacy features. Your health-related discussions stay private and won’t be mixed with your regular chats – information you share in Health won’t appear in other conversations.

OpenAI emphasizes that this feature is meant to assist with healthcare, not take the place of a doctor. ChatGPT Health isn’t for diagnosing conditions or providing treatment. Instead, it can help you get ready for doctor’s visits, make sense of test results, monitor your health over time, and find answers to common health questions.

ChatGPT Health lets you safely link your medical records and health apps like Apple Health, Function, and MyFitnessPal. Once connected, it can help you understand your latest test results, make sense of data from wearable devices, get ideas for diet and exercise, and even learn more about your insurance options based on your health information.

Your conversations in ChatGPT Health aren’t used to improve OpenAI’s core AI models. You have full control over your health information – you can see or delete it whenever you want, and easily disconnect any connected medical records or apps in the settings. For added security, you can also turn on two-factor authentication.

Developed alongside physicians

ChatGPT Health was created with significant input from doctors around the world. Over the past two years, more than 260 physicians from 60 countries and a wide range of medical specialties have provided feedback on the AI’s health-related responses. Their over 600,000 evaluations have helped refine the system to ensure it communicates clearly and prioritizes patient safety.

We tested the Health model using HealthBench, a system created with input from doctors. HealthBench measures things like how well the model provides quality clinical care, how clearly it communicates, whether it appropriately flags serious issues, and how safe it is – rather than just testing its ability to answer questions like a medical exam.

OpenAI says this allows ChatGPT Health to do things like explain medical test results in plain language, help people get ready for doctor’s appointments, summarize aftercare directions, and make sense of health data.

ChatGPT Health is starting with limited access for a select group of users who subscribe to Free, Go, Plus, or Pro plans, but not in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, or the UK. OpenAI plans to gradually expand access throughout 2026, eventually making it widely available on the web and iPhones.

Read More

2026-01-08 19:19