OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health, netizens say 'most AI health startups will become redundant'

OpenAI has clarified that ChatGPT Health is not intended for diagnosis or treatment and does not replace professional medical care.

After OpenAI on Wednesday launched ChatGPT Health, a new section specifically designed for conversations about physical and mental wellbeing, social media has been abuzz with the implications of it on personal health and on AI-based health startups.

Many argued that ChatGPT Health could make large parts of the AI health startup ecosystem redundant while several voiced hesitance over sharing personal medical records with an AI tool.

Reacting to the launch, Dilip Kumar, who works with Zerodha-funded Rainmatter, said the move could significantly disrupt the health-tech startup landscape. “I meet dozens of AI Health startups every week and can tell you this is a big deal," he wrote on X. "Most of them will become redundant once this gets adoption. Your medical triaging, nutrition, fitness training, rehab, mental health all in one place."

Several other users echoed similar views, saying ChatGPT’s scale and existing user base give OpenAI an advantage that standalone health apps would struggle to match.

Explaining why the launch matters, another X user working in life sciences said: “ChatGPT is already changing how patients search for information and doctors interact with patients. This will accelerate that transformation.”

ChatGPT a core health tool for several users

For some users, ChatGPT has already become a core health tool. “It’s my top use case for ChatGPT, and it has absolutely improved my health,” one user wrote, adding that the tool worked best when used alongside professional medical advice. The user said ChatGPT was helpful in researching conditions, verifying information, and staying consistent with health routines.

Privacy and hallucination concerns resurface

But, not all reactions on social media were positive. A section of users flagged concerns around privacy, misuse, and the risks of AI hallucinations — a term used when AI systems generate convincing, but incorrect information.

“OpenAI is encouraging users to connect their medical records, but it’s ‘not intended for diagnosis or treatment.’ Do NOT give them your records. Do NOT trust them,” one X user commented.

Another pointed to scale-related risks, particularly in voice mode. “ChatGPT is now America’s AI doctor, and that’s both amazing and terrifying. According to OpenAI’s new report, over 40 million Americans now use ChatGPT daily for health-related questions. But here’s the concern: many users are talking to lighter, faster models that still hallucinate.”

OpenAI and independent researchers have previously acknowledged hallucinations as a known limitation. On Wednesday, the company added that ChatGPT Health offers a more focused environment for health-related discussions, keeping them separate from everyday work or lifestyle chats.

It added that conversations in ChatGPT Health would not be used to train its foundation models, and information from this section would not flow into other parts of a user’s chat history. OpenAI also clarified that ChatGPT Health is not intended for diagnosis or treatment and does not replace professional medical care.