OpenAI considers consumer health tools in push beyond core AI offerings, Business Insider reports

The OpenAI logo is seen displayed on a cell phone, with an image on a computer screen generated by ChatGPT's Dall-E text-to-image model, on Friday, Dec. 8, 2023, in Boston. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Michael Dwyer

OpenAI is weighing building consumer health products, including a generative AI-powered personal health assistant, as the ChatGPT maker aims to move beyond its core offerings, Business Insider reported on Monday, citing sources close to the company.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

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Tech giants such as Google, Amazon and Microsoft have long tried to give consumers control over their medical data, often with limited success.

Google shut its health record service in 2011 due to low traction, while Amazon wound down its Halo fitness tracker business in 2023. Microsoft’s HealthVault platform also failed to attract widespread adoption.

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OpenAI’s healthcare push follows strategic hires, including Nate Gross, cofounder of physician network Doximity, as head of healthcare strategy in June, and former Instagram executive Ashley Alexander as vice president of health products in August.

At the HLTH conference in October, Gross said ChatGPT attracts about 800 million weekly active users, many seeking medical advice.

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Reporting by Kritika Lamba in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore