There is growing optimism among AI leaders regarding the potential of AI technology in the healthcare industry, particularly in the development of personalized bots capable of understanding and addressing individual health issues.
OpenAI and Arianna Huffington are collaborating to finance the creation of an “AI health coach” through Thrive AI Health.
In an op-ed for Time magazine, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Huffington explained that the bot will be educated using “the most reliable scientific research” in addition to “the personal biometric, lab, and other medical information that you have opted to disclose.”
The company has appointed DeCarlos Love, a former Google executive with experience in Fitbit and other wearable technology, as its CEO.
Thrive AI Health has also formed research partnerships with various academic institutions and medical centers such as Stanford Medicine, the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute at West Virginia University, and the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine. (The Alice L. Walton Foundation is also an investor in Thrive AI Health.)
AI-powered health coaches have gained popularity, with Fitbit developing an AI chatbot coach and Whoop incorporating a ChatGPT-powered “coach” to provide users with more insights into their health metrics.
In San Francisco, the obsession with health data is evident, as people often wear an Oura Ring or discuss their sleep data from their Eight Sleep mattress.
Thrive AI Health aims to offer valuable insights to individuals who may not have easy access to such information, such as a single mother seeking quick meal ideas for her gluten-free child or an immunocompromised person in need of immediate advice between doctor’s appointments.
However, it’s important to consider the potential risks: sharing your health information with anyone other than your primary care doctor could lead to a breach of confidentiality.
Additionally, there is a possibility that the bot may offer harmful or even fatal misinformation, and there is a risk that the quality of care could be compromised by quick and flawed responses without human supervision.
The bot is currently in its early stages and is following an approach similar to small developing habits. Its objective is to gently encourage small changes in five key areas of life: sleep, nutrition, fitness, stress management, and social connection.
By making minor adjustments, such as recommending a 10-minute walk after picking up your child from school, Thrive AI Health aims to have a positive impact on individuals with chronic conditions such as heart disease.
It does not claim to be capable of providing actual diagnoses like a doctor would, but instead aims to help users adopt a healthier lifestyle.
“AI is already significantly hastening the pace of scientific advancements in the field of medicine, offering breakthroughs in drug development, diagnoses, and accelerating progress in addressing diseases such as cancer,” the opinion piece stated.
The integration of AI into the healthcare system has the potential to greatly benefit society, assuming it proves to be effective.
While a bot advising better sleep habits may not be as groundbreaking as AI-powered medical breakthroughs, there have been promising developments in the health sector.
For example, a study suggested that a radiologist supported by a specialized AI tool can detect breast cancer from mammogram images as accurately as two radiologists.
Additionally, there are AI-designed drugs currently undergoing clinical trials, including one for treating fibrosis, and a team of M.I.T researchers utilized AI in 2020 to identify an antibiotic capable of combating E. coli.
For Altman and Huffington, the main challenge will be establishing trust in a product that handles sensitive personal information while navigating the boundaries of AI’s capabilities.
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