OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health amid lawsuits over medical advice

OpenAI has rolled out ChatGPT Health to all US adults 18 and older, allowing the chatbot to access personal health data from Apple Health and medical records from providers like Epic and One Medical. The feature, initially tested in a separate portal, is now integrated into the main chat experience, with over 300 million weekly health queries reported.

The claims

OpenAI's vice-president of health product, Ashley Alexander, stated that the company's models "are now capable of reasoning at levels that are better than clinician level." However, health lead Karan Singhal later tempered this, citing only "individual studies" pointing in that direction Source: The Verge. The feature uses GPT-5.6 Sol for paid users, which OpenAI calls its "strongest model yet for health" Source: Engadget.

Legal backlash

The launch is overshadowed by two lawsuits. A Florida pastor, Scott Winters, alleges ChatGPT gave him "extremely dangerous medical recommendations," leading him to delay care for a pulmonary embolism after the chatbot told him "God did not design your body to endlessly fail" Source: BBC. A separate wrongful death suit claims ChatGPT advised a 19-year-old to use Xanax to manage a Kratom high, resulting in a fatal overdose Source: Gizmodo. Both lawsuits seek to pause ChatGPT Health and demand stronger safeguards. OpenAI maintains that ChatGPT is not a substitute for medical care and that users should verify information with healthcare providers Source: TechCrunch.