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OpenAI Explores Generative AI Health Tools in Expansion Beyond ChatGPT

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OpenAI is reportedly exploring consumer health products, including a generative AI-powered personal health assistant, as part of its efforts to expand beyond its core AI offerings, according to Business Insider, citing people familiar with the matter.

The move marks a major step for the ChatGPT developer as it looks to enter the highly regulated and competitive healthcare sector. OpenAI declined to comment on the report.

The company’s healthcare ambitions come after a series of strategic hires earlier this year. In June, OpenAI appointed Nate Gross, cofounder of the physician networking platform Doximity, as head of healthcare strategy, followed by former Instagram executive Ashley Alexander joining as vice president of health products in August.

Speaking at the HLTH conference in October, Gross revealed that ChatGPT attracts around 800 million weekly active users, with a significant number seeking medical or health-related advice through the platform.

OpenAI’s expansion into health mirrors earlier efforts by Google, Amazon, and Microsoft to give consumers more control over their medical data—attempts that largely fell short. Google shut down its Health Records project in 2011, Amazon ended its Halo fitness tracker business in 2023, and Microsoft’s HealthVault also failed to gain widespread adoption.

If realized, OpenAI’s health assistant could integrate generative AI with personalized wellness and medical insights, potentially transforming how consumers manage their health. However, regulatory and ethical challenges around data privacy and medical accuracy are expected to be key hurdles.

FDA clears Apple Watch hypertension detection feature

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given Apple the green light to introduce a hypertension detection feature on its latest smartwatch models. The approval marks another step in Apple’s push to expand its footprint in digital health technology.

Apple showcased the feature during its September 9 launch event, alongside a new iPhone lineup. The feature will be available later this month on the Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, Series 11, and the Ultra 2 and Ultra 3 models, with plans to roll out in 150 countries and regions, including the U.S. and EU.

Using the watch’s optical heart sensor, the system analyzes how blood vessels respond to heartbeats. Instead of taking single-time readings like a traditional cuff monitor, the algorithm works passively, reviewing data across 30-day periods. If it finds consistent signs of hypertension, the watch sends the user an alert.

Apple emphasized the tool is not meant to diagnose or capture every case of high blood pressure, but could warn an estimated one million users worldwide.

Bloomberg had earlier reported the feature would begin rolling out as soon as next week. Apple has not commented further on the timeline.

Samsung to Acquire U.S. Healthcare Platform Xealth to Boost Mobile Health Business

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Samsung Electronics announced on Tuesday it has signed an agreement to acquire Xealth, a U.S.-based digital healthcare platform, aiming to expand its mobile healthcare services. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Samsung said the acquisition is intended to create synergy by combining its advanced wearable technology with Xealth’s platform, which manages digital health programs and connects care providers—including over 500 U.S. hospitals—with patients through data integration.

This move aligns with Samsung’s broader strategy to diversify beyond its traditional semiconductor and smartphone operations. The company is increasingly investing in growth areas such as medical technology, consumer audio, climate control systems, and robotics.

Earlier this year, Samsung agreed to acquire Germany’s FlaktGroup for €1.5 billion ($1.68 billion), targeting the booming demand for data center cooling, driven by AI projects. At a March shareholder meeting, Chairman Jay Y. Lee emphasized Samsung’s focus on “meaningful” acquisitions to drive growth, especially after falling behind rivals in the AI chip market led by Nvidia.

Notably, on the same day as the Xealth announcement, Samsung forecasted a sharp 56% decline in its second-quarter operating profit, mainly due to weak AI chip sales—raising investor concerns about the company’s semiconductor business recovery.