AI giant OpenAI has introduced ChatGPT Health, a new dedicated health experience designed to bring users’ medical information and AI-powered insights together in one space. 

The new feature will help people better understand their health data, and it will also assist them in preparing for doctor visits and seeking AI help with everyday wellness decisions. The feature claims to have enhanced encryption, strict data isolation, and close collaboration with physicians worldwide.

Notably, health is already one of the most common ways people use ChatGPT, with hundreds of millions of people asking health and wellness questions each week. Based on OpenAI’s de-identified analysis of conversations, over 230 million people globally ask health and wellness-related questions on ChatGPT every week.

OpenAI is initially providing access to a small group of early users, and those with ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans outside of the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom are eligible. It plans to expand access and make it  available to all users on the web and iOS in the coming weeks.

Here are key features of ChatGPT Health:

1) ChatGPT Health aims to focus on strong privacy, security, and data controls across ChatGPT with additional, layered protections, including encryption and isolation, to keep health conversations protected and compartmentalised. 

2) Users can connect medical records and wellness apps to ground conversations in one’s health information, so responses are more relevant and useful. Designed in collaboration with physicians, ChatGPT Health helps people take a more active role in understanding and managing health, while supporting, not replacing, care from clinicians.

3) Health information is generally scattered across portals, apps, wearables, PDFs, and medical notes; people have to navigate a complex healthcare system. 

4) ChatGPT Health works by connecting to medical records and wellness apps—like Apple Health, Function, and MyFitnessPal— help one understand test results, prepare for appointments with your doctor, get advice on how to approach diet and workout routine, or understand the tradeoffs of different insurance options based on healthcare patterns.

5) OpenAI says conversations in ChatGPT Health are not used to train foundation models. “If you start a health-related conversation in ChatGPT, we’ll suggest moving into Health for these additional protections.”