In a recent Time op-ed, OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman and Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington announced their collaboration to fund the development of an “AI health coach” through the Thrive AI Health startup. The digital doctor will be trained on the latest peer-reviewed scientific research and users’ personal biometric, lab, and medical data shared with the company.
Altman and Huffington emphasize that five foundational daily behaviors – sleep, food, movement, stress management, and social connection – significantly impact overall health. Through hyper-personalization, AI can enhance these behaviors. For example, the AI health coach will gather data on users’ well-being, food preferences, exercise routines, and stress reduction strategies to provide real-time personalized recommendations.
They highlight the importance of addressing health inequities among individuals with chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular issues. By using a hyper-personalized AI health coach, the duo believes that healthy behavior modifications can be made more accessible and effective.
However, concerns arise regarding the reliability of AI-generated medical advice due to instances where incorrect information has been provided. Despite the potential benefits, questions remain about the security and accuracy of sharing personal medical data with AI platforms.
Several tech companies, including Onvy, Fitbit, and Whoop, have ventured into developing AI health coaches, each offering unique features tailored to user needs and preferences.
