SAN FRANCISCO, United States — OpenAI has launched a new health-focused feature on ChatGPT, creating a dedicated space for medical and wellness conversations within the platform.
The company announced the rollout of ChatGPT Health on Wednesday, January 8, saying the feature aims to help users better understand and manage their health.
The new service allows users to securely connect their medical records and wellness apps to ChatGPT. This enables responses that reflect a user’s personal health information.
OpenAI said the feature can help explain medical test results, prepare users for doctor visits, offer guidance on diet and exercise, and assist in comparing insurance plans.
“You can securely connect medical records and wellness apps to ground conversations in your own health information,” OpenAI said. “This makes responses more relevant and useful.”
The company emphasised that ChatGPT Health is designed to support, not replace, professional medical care.
“Developed in close collaboration with physicians, ChatGPT Health helps people take a more active role in understanding and managing their health and wellness,” OpenAI said.
The launch follows growing global use of ChatGPT for health-related queries. OpenAI said more than 230 million people worldwide use ChatGPT every week to ask questions about health and wellness.
The company described health inquiries as one of the most common use cases for chatbots. It said this trend partly motivated the development of ChatGPT Health, which has been in preparation for nearly two years.
OpenAI will initially roll out the feature to a limited group of users. The phased launch will allow the company to test performance and improve user experience before wider access.
Users interested in the service must first sign up for a waitlist. Once approved, they can access ChatGPT Health through a new “Health” option on the sidebar menu.
From there, users can upload medical records and integrate health and wellness apps they already use. The system then uses that information to personalise conversations.
OpenAI said it has strengthened safeguards to protect sensitive health data shared on the platform.
“Even before introducing ChatGPT Health, we built foundational protections across ChatGPT,” the company said. These include temporary chats, options to delete conversations within 30 days, and systems that prevent models from retaining personal information.
The company said users retain meaningful control over their data at all times.
OpenAI said ChatGPT Health was built to operate within these concerns. It stressed that the tool is meant to complement clinicians, not replace them.
