Microsoft launched Copilot Health this month. Amazon released Health AI days earlier. Mass-market health AI is officially a trend.

The Big Picture

Big Tech is entering the healthcare space with conversational AI tools. Microsoft, Amazon, OpenAI, and Anthropic have all launched products that let users query their health using medical records. This responds to clear demand: accessing healthcare systems is hard for many people.

“"The evidence base really needs to be there," says Oxford's Andrew Bean.”

Why It Matters

The potential market is enormous. Microsoft fields 50 million health questions daily, and health is the most popular topic on its Copilot mobile app. OpenAI reports a "rapid, rapid" increase in health queries on ChatGPT. Companies see this as an opportunity to relieve pressure on healthcare systems.

But there are significant risks. Researchers warn these tools need rigorous evaluation by independent experts, ideally before mass release. In a high-stakes area like health, trusting companies to evaluate their own products could prove unwise.

Dominic King, Microsoft AI's health VP and a former surgeon, cites two key factors: advancement in generative AI's capabilities to answer health questions, and market demand. "We've seen this enormous progress," he says.