Amazon Unveils Health AI, an AI-Powered Assistant for One Medical Patients
Amazon has taken its first major step into the healthcare sector by introducing an AI-powered assistant called 'Health AI' to One Medical, a tech-forward primary care provider it acquired last year. The new tool promises 24/7 personalized health guidance based on patients' medical records.
With Health AI, Amazon claims that patients can get explanations of lab results, manage their medications, and even book appointments. However, the company is evasive about how much medical advice the AI tool can provide, stating only that it "complements, but does not replace" the expertise of healthcare providers.
The assistant reportedly has a unique ability to analyze health-related data, though Amazon doesn't specify whether this includes medical imaging or user-uploaded photos.
Critics will likely be concerned about data privacy, as AI-powered tools like Health AI raise questions about how sensitive information is safeguarded. In response, Amazon claims it adheres to HIPAA-compliant practices and ensures that patients' conversations with the AI are not automatically added to their medical records – though there's an obvious implication that this could change in the future.
Healthcare has become increasingly digital, and now big tech companies like Amazon are stepping into the market with AI-powered chatbots. Google recently introduced a health coach within its Fitbit app, while OpenAI announced a dedicated health portal for its ChatGPT platform last month.
One Medical itself is shifting towards telehealth services, which can be accessed as part of an annual subscription discounted for Prime members. This marks just one more significant move by Amazon in the healthcare sector, with same-day prescription delivery and prescription vending machines also having been launched recently.
Amazon has taken its first major step into the healthcare sector by introducing an AI-powered assistant called 'Health AI' to One Medical, a tech-forward primary care provider it acquired last year. The new tool promises 24/7 personalized health guidance based on patients' medical records.
With Health AI, Amazon claims that patients can get explanations of lab results, manage their medications, and even book appointments. However, the company is evasive about how much medical advice the AI tool can provide, stating only that it "complements, but does not replace" the expertise of healthcare providers.
The assistant reportedly has a unique ability to analyze health-related data, though Amazon doesn't specify whether this includes medical imaging or user-uploaded photos.
Critics will likely be concerned about data privacy, as AI-powered tools like Health AI raise questions about how sensitive information is safeguarded. In response, Amazon claims it adheres to HIPAA-compliant practices and ensures that patients' conversations with the AI are not automatically added to their medical records – though there's an obvious implication that this could change in the future.
Healthcare has become increasingly digital, and now big tech companies like Amazon are stepping into the market with AI-powered chatbots. Google recently introduced a health coach within its Fitbit app, while OpenAI announced a dedicated health portal for its ChatGPT platform last month.
One Medical itself is shifting towards telehealth services, which can be accessed as part of an annual subscription discounted for Prime members. This marks just one more significant move by Amazon in the healthcare sector, with same-day prescription delivery and prescription vending machines also having been launched recently.
AI is like a therapist but cheaper 
and has better snacks 
AMAZON TAKING A BIG STEP INTO THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR IS GOING TO CHANGE LIVES!!! ONE MEDICAL GETTING AI POWERED HELP IS REALLY COOL I GUESS WHO'S GOING TO BE THE FIRST PERSON TO USE IT!!! 
i mean on the one hand its cool that they're trying to make healthcare more accessible and all but on the other hand i'm super worried about my data getting messed up 
what if the ai tool starts telling people things they shouldn't be told lol like what if it gives someone a false positive or something? 
anyway i guess its just another step into the digital age of healthcare 
and we should probs get used to not being able to walk down the street without being asked for our medical history 
I'm not sure I'm ready for my doctor being replaced by a computer program. And don't even get me started on data privacy... I mean, Amazon's got some serious 'trust us' vibes going on here 
. Can we just slow down and think about the implications of this stuff before we let tech giants start playing doctor? 
. Like, we're already seeing how big tech companies like Google & Amazon can mess up user info in other areas... do we really trust them to keep our health records safe? 
Still, I guess this is a step in the right direction for healthcare and getting more people access to quality care 
. We'll see how it plays out! 
still thinking about it... 