On Wednesday, January 7, 2026, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Health, a new feature designed to answer health-related questions. The feature allows users to upload their medical records and connect health and wellness apps such as Apple Health and MyFitnessPal.
The launch aims to expand ChatGPT’s capabilities by offering users a dedicated space for accessing health information, addressing one of the most common requests from chatbot users. According to OpenAI, over 230 million people worldwide ask health and wellness questions on ChatGPT every week.
Features of ChatGPT Health
As reported by Reuters, ChatGPT Health helps users with a range of tasks, including:
Understanding recent medical test results
Preparing for doctor appointments
Receiving dietary and exercise advice
Evaluating trade-offs between different insurance options based on personal healthcare patterns
The announcement comes at a time when regulators are reconsidering oversight of healthcare technology. On Tuesday, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary stated that the agency plans to limit regulation of wearable devices and software designed to support healthy lifestyles.
Regarding ChatGPT, Makary described it as a product worth promoting but noted safety concerns. OpenAI addressed these by explaining that users’ conversations can be deleted from OpenAI’s systems within 30 days, and that the models are trained not to retain personal information from user chats.
Privacy and Security Measures
ChatGPT Health encrypts conversations and files by default, both in storage and during transmission, as part of its core security design. The system uses additional multi-layer protections, including encryption and isolation, to maintain the confidentiality of sensitive health data.
The feature operates as a separate, private space, and conversations within ChatGPT Health are not used to train OpenAI’s base models, ensuring users’ sensitive information remains secure.
Availability and Development
OpenAI plans to expand access to ChatGPT Health for all web and iOS users in the coming weeks. The application was initially available to a small group of early testers, including subscribers to ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, and Pro, to evaluate the user experience. It will be freely available to all users soon.
OpenAI developed ChatGPT Health in close collaboration with doctors worldwide. Over two years, the company worked with more than 260 practicing physicians from 60 countries and multiple specialties to understand which factors make health answers helpful or potentially harmful. This group provided feedback on the model’s outputs over 600,000 times across 30 major areas.
Important Notes
ChatGPT Health is designed to support medical care, not replace it. The app is not for diagnosis or treatment. Instead, it helps users answer everyday health questions and understand trends in their health over time, empowering them to be more informed and prepared for important medical discussions.
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