Microsoft announced an AI-powered tool called Copilot Health. This, the company claims, can help make sense of medical records, health history, and fitness data from wearables if you give them access to the information. The company said the feature will be placed in a “separate, secure space” within the Copilot app and is intended to provide more context and insight so you can ask the right questions during your doctor’s visit.
Microsoft says Copilot Health is designed to help you better understand your entire medical information. “It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or other condition, nor is it intended to replace professional medical advice,” the company said in a blog post.
The tool can pull in activity, fitness, and sleep data from over 50 devices, including Apple Watch, Oura, and Fitbit. Through HealthEx, you can access health records including visit summaries, medication details, and test results from more than 50,000 hospitals and provider organizations in the United States. If you allow it, you can access lab test results from Function.
Copilot Health can take all these details and apply “intelligence to turn them into a coherent story,” the company suggested, including helping you pinpoint why your sleep isn’t so good. Access a real-time provider directory across the United States that allows users to search for clinicians based on factors such as location, specialty, language spoken, insurance coverage, and more.
Microsoft says users ask more than 50 million health-related questions every day across AI-powered consumer products like Copilot and Bing. “We improved the quality and reliability of our answers by gathering information from trusted healthcare organizations in 50 countries, as verified by our clinical team using principles originally established by the National Academy of Medicine,” the blog post states. “Answers include clear citations with brief links to source material and expert answer cards from Harvard Health.”
As far as privacy goes, Microsoft says Copilot Health data and conversations are isolated from the wider Copilot app, and additional access and safety controls are in place, including “encryption at rest and in transit.” You can delete your information or block the app’s access to your health records and wearable data at any time. Microsoft also notes that it does not use Copilot Health information to train models.
The company explained that Copilot Health was informed by its Responsible AI Principles. Microsoft built this tool in collaboration with our own clinical teams and with the expertise and feedback of more than 230 physicians in dozens of countries. “Copilot Health has achieved ISO/IEC 42001 certification, the world’s first standard for AI management systems. This means an independent third party has validated how we build, manage, and continuously improve the AI behind this service,” the company said.
Microsoft has opened a waiting list for those interested in trying Copilot Health. The tool will initially be available in English for people 18 and older in the United States. The company is working on adding support for more languages and voice options and will announce availability in these and other regions in the future.
According to Microsoft, users can initially try Copilot Health for free, but Microsoft plans to charge an access fee via subscription. new york times. The company has not yet disclosed pricing details.
Copilot Health’s announcement comes just days after Amazon expanded its Health AI tools beyond One Medical. It is currently available for purchase on Amazon’s website and app. Prime members in the U.S. can chat about specific symptoms with One Medical providers via direct message at no additional charge. Earlier this year, OpenAI announced that it was testing ChatGPT Health. Anthropic also has healthcare tools.
Given how difficult it is for many people to access affordable healthcare services, and the fact that their data and medical records are often spread across many healthcare providers, one might think that there is an advantage to using such a tool from an AI company.
But there’s a big difference between tracking your sleep or calling your doctor after your Apple Watch detects signs of atrial fibrillation, and entrusting all your medical information to a chatbot. There are also issues such as AI hallucinations and chatbots giving users frankly bad advice, and LLM-based tools downplaying or exaggerating potential risks.
