Apparently, 230 million of you are already treating ChatGPT like a digital MD every single week. That’s roughly 1 in 4 users asking an AI for medical advice instead of, you know, a human with a degree. Wild, right?
OpenAI saw those stats and did exactly what you’d expect: They built a dedicated front door for it, so yeah, say hello to ChatGPT Health.
Here is the "TL;DR" on your new AI doctor (who isn't actually a doctor):
The Command Center: You can now plug in your medical records, Apple Health data, Functions and MyFitnessPal stats. It’s basically a way to make sense of those confusing lab results without needing a PhD in biology.
The Life-Saver: This isn't just hype. OpenAI’s CEO of Apps, Fidji Simo, shared that ChatGPT actually caught a life-threatening medication error while she was hospitalized. Apparently, a resident prescribed an antibiotic that would’ve triggered a serious past infection—and the chatbot flagged it. One brownie point for the AIs.
The Homework: OpenAI worked with 260+ physicians for two years and built "HealthBench" to make sure the AI doesn't tell you to do anything too crazy.
But here’s the "Big Yikes" moment: ChatGPT Health is NOT HIPAA compliant.
When your doctor looks at your data, they’re bound by federal laws. When OpenAI looks at it? It’s basically a pinky promise. Now they've added encryption and isolated storage, and they swear they won't train on your health data, but privacy experts are currently giving them the massive side-eye. According to them, self-policed safeguards don't have much "legal teeth" if things go sideways.
And OpenAI has been very clear: ChatGPT Health is NOT for diagnosis or treatment. It's designed to help you understand patterns and navigate the healthcare system—not replace your doctor. Got it?
The Bigger Picture: OpenAI is clearly over its "generalist" phase. First, we got Study Mode for students in July, then the shopping features, and now Health. They want ChatGPT to be the interface between you and... well, everything. Google already partnered with the same data infra company (b.well) back in October, so expect Gemini to ask for your blood pressure stats any day now.
Can you use it yet?
It’s currently on a waitlist for a lucky few users (unless you’re in the EU, Switzerland, or the UK—sorry, friends). Medical record integration is U.S.-only for now, but it should hit web and iOS globally in the coming weeks.
The bottom line: Will people hand over their most sensitive data to a company that isn't legally forced to protect it?
Well, given that 230 million of y'all are already doing it... the answer is probably a resounding "Yes."
Our advice? Stay healthy, stay curious, and maybe actually read the privacy policy on this one.
