OpenAI plans consumer health products including AI assistants for consumers

OpenAI is reportedly exploring the development of consumer health projects, including a generative AI-powered personal health assistant, as it aims to expand its offerings beyond its core AI platform.

OpenAI continued to pursue strategic hires for its healthcare initiative in August, including Nate Gross, co-founder of physician network Doxomity, as head of healthcare strategy, and Ashley Alexander, former Instagram executive, as vice president of health products.

It has been observed that tech giants such as Google, Amazon and Microsoft have strived for a longer time to give consumers control over their medical data, but these projects met with restricted access.

Google has discontinued its health record service in 2011 due to inadequate traction, while Amazon wound down its Halo fitness tracker business in 2023 and failed to captivate the attention of a global audience.

The company’s recent move of considering consumer health tools shows that it is aiming for strategic diversification in the future and ultimately translating its strong foundational AI technology into industry-targeted applications.