In a move signaling its expansion beyond core AI products, OpenAI is reportedly exploring consumer health tools, including a generative AI-powered personal health assistant, according to Business Insider.
The development follows OpenAI’s recent high-profile hires, including Nate Gross, co-founder of Doximity, as Head of Healthcare Strategy, and Ashley Alexander, former Instagram executive, as Vice President of Health Products. The initiative comes as the company seeks to diversify its offerings beyond ChatGPT.
At the HLTH Conference in October, Gross revealed that ChatGPT attracts over 800 million weekly active users, many of whom seek medical or wellness-related advice. Industry experts view OpenAI’s potential entry into health tech as a bold step to bring AI-driven healthcare tools directly to consumers.
An analyst quoted by Business Insider noted,
“With OpenAI’s massive user base and AI capabilities, a health assistant could reshape how people manage personal health data.”
While tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft have previously ventured into digital health with limited success OpenAI’s timing and advanced generative models could give it a unique edge. Past projects like Google Health, Amazon Halo, and Microsoft HealthVault were discontinued due to low adoption, highlighting the challenge OpenAI must overcome.