OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health after Ant Group's Afu upgrade

OpenAI unveiled on Wednesday ChatGPT for Healthcare, a new service operated as a separate space designed to answer health-related questions and connect wellness apps such as Apple Health.

More than 230 million people worldwide ask health and wellness-related questions on ChatGPT every week, OpenAI said. Several medical institutions have adopted the model, including AdventHealth, Baylor Scott & White Health and Boston Children's Hospital.

The move into AI-powered healthcare mirrors similar efforts in China. Last month, Ant Group upgraded its AI health application to "Ant Afu", revamping it for AI-powered personal health management. Afu means blessing and well-being in Chinese.

About a month after its upgrade, Afu reported 30 million monthly active users and over 10 million daily user queries.

To improve the reliability of AI-generated medical information, OpenAI grounds answers in authoritative sources, including millions of peer-reviewed research papers, public health guidance and clinical guidelines.

Meanwhile, Ant Group went a step further by integrating human doctors into its AI health services. For users with medical needs, Afu is connected to 300,000 licensed doctors for online consultations, with more than 27 million health inquiries answered to date, the company said.

Privacy remains a key concern in AI-driven healthcare. ChatGPT Health operates as a separate space with enhanced data protections, and that conversations within the service are not used to train its foundation models, said OpenAI.