OpenAI introduces ChatGPT Health to simplify everyday health questions

• OpenAI introduces ChatGPT Health for health data.
• Health information is separate, not used for training.
• Gradual roll-out.

Health questions are one of the most common reasons people turn to AI tools. Many are not looking for a diagnosis, but for help understanding test results, tracking changes over time, or preparing for a doctor’s visit. That demand has grown as health information becomes harder to manage, spread in apps, patient portals, lab reports, and wearable devices.

OpenAI is now trying to bring more of that information into one place inside ChatGPT through a new feature called ChatGPT Health. The tool allows users to connect medical records and wellness apps so responses can reflect a person’s own health data rather than generic advice. The company says the feature is meant to support everyday understanding, not replace medical care.

Based on OpenAI’s de-identified conversation data, more than 230 million people around the world ask health or wellness questions on ChatGPT each week. Those questions range from interpreting lab numbers to understanding insurance options. ChatGPT Health builds on that existing use by adding personal context, while keeping health data separate from the rest of the chatbot.

A private space for health questions

ChatGPT Health operates as a dedicated area in the chatbot. Users who choose to opt in can connect medical records from participating US healthcare providers, along with data from wellness and fitness apps. Supported services include Apple Health, MyFitnessPal, Function, and Weight Watchers, with some integrations limited to the US and Apple Health requiring iOS.

Once connected, the tool can help users review recent test results, notice patterns over time, prepare questions for a clinician, or think through diet and exercise choices based on past data. OpenAI says the feature is not designed to diagnose conditions or recommend treatment. Instead, it aims to help people feel more informed when they speak with healthcare professionals.

Health conversations and files live in their own space inside ChatGPT. OpenAI says this space has separate memories, meaning health information does not carry over into other chats. While users can still see health-related conversations in their chat history, the underlying data remains contained in Health.

In limited cases, ChatGPT may use context from outside Health, like a recent move or lifestyle change, to make a health discussion more relevant. Health data itself does not flow back into non-health chats, and conversations outside Health cannot access files or memories created in it. Users can view or delete Health memories at any time through the Health interface or personalisation settings.

“ChatGPT Health is another step toward turning ChatGPT into a personal super-assistant that can support you with information and tools to achieve your goals in any part of your life,” Fidji Simo, CEO of applications at OpenAI, wrote in a post on Substack.

How privacy and security are handled

Because medical information is highly sensitive, OpenAI says ChatGPT Health includes extra safeguards beyond the chatbot’s standard protections. Conversations and files in ChatGPT are encrypted at rest and in transit. Health adds additional isolation and purpose-built encryption to further limit exposure.

OpenAI says health conversations are not used to train its foundation models. The company also points to existing controls that apply in ChatGPT, like temporary chats, the ability to delete chats in 30 days, and optional multi-factor authentication, which adds another layer of account protection.

To enable access to medical records from US healthcare providers, OpenAI partnered with b.well, a network that connects patient data in health systems. Users can grant access to their records and remove it at any time through settings.

Wellness apps require explicit permission before sharing data, even if they are already connected to ChatGPT for other purposes. OpenAI says apps included in Health must meet its privacy and security standards and go through additional review. When a user connects an app for the first time, ChatGPT explains what types of data may be shared. Disconnecting an app immediately cuts off access.

A gradual rollout with limits in place

OpenAI says ChatGPT Health was developed with input from physicians, though it has not detailed how those discussions shaped the final design. The launch follows other recent health-related work by the company, including Health Bench, a benchmark released in May to evaluate how AI models perform in realistic health scenarios.

Access to ChatGPT Health will begin with a small group of early users. OpenAI says feedback from this group will be used to refine the experience before expanding access more broadly in the coming weeks.

While the company has emphasised that the tool is meant to support, not replace, medical care, the release signals a deeper move into health-related use cases. Whether people adopt ChatGPT Health as part of how they manage their information may depend on how clearly it fits into existing healthcare routines, and how comfortable users feel trusting an AI system with such personal data.

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