Wonder is entering the consumer health AI arena

New tools use data from multiple sources to provide health insights to users as tech giants compete for AI health dominance.

Perplexity has launched Perplexity Health, heralding the company’s entry into the AI-powered consumer health market that is quickly becoming one of the most competitive areas in big tech — and one with potentially significant implications for longevity. The announcement puts surprise in the mix of a hugely crowded and fast-growing field, where the likes of OpenAI, Anthropic and Amazon have already staked claims.

Claiming that millions of people already use its AI-powered search platform to ask health-related questions, the company said it developed Perplexity Health to improve its ability to answer such questions by using personal health data to allow users to find answers in their records, trends and daily data. Addressing the fragmented nature of health data, which is often spread across provider portals, lab accounts, pharmacy apps and wearable dashboards, Perplexity Health aims to pull these fragments into a single view, consolidate medical records, lab results and performance data into one place and present it through a personalized dashboard that tracks metrics.

The new product is described as a “suite of connectors” that connects the company’s AI agent platform Perplexity Computer with personal health resources including Apple Health, electronic health records from care providers, and data platforms such as Fitbit, Ultrahuman and Withings. A question about cardiac comfort, for example, can be answered in the context of recent activity, cardiac history, and blood work, rather than in isolation.

From a longevity perspective, Wonder Health can help individuals identify risks earlier, track changes over time and make more informed decisions about prevention and care. Over time, such continuous, personalized knowledge of an individual’s health has the potential to support earlier interventions and healthier behaviors.

Surprise says the new product will include clear safeguards, including guidance on when people should seek care, rather than encouraging users to rely on AI as a substitute for clinicians. As if to emphasize this point, the company also announced the creation of a sophisticated health advisory board, a group of doctors, researchers and health technology experts that includes renowned longevity scientist Dr. Eric Topol. Super Agerswho will test the company’s safety and product decisions against evidence-based medicine standards.

When it comes to privacy and data governance, Complex says that any health data connected to the platform is encrypted, protected with strict access controls and supported by tools that allow users to manage or delete their data. Users will also be able to disconnect health data sources such as electronic health records or wearables, and the company says the data will not be used to train AI models or sold to third parties.

It seems that healthcare companies are also willing to get on board. The consumer preventative health platform, Function, has already announced that it will allow members to securely connect their data to Perplexity Health in the coming weeks. Through the connector, function members will be able to bring their lab test results and clinician review summaries into the complex so that information can be combined with function data and medical records within the platform.

“AI is most powerful when it’s personal,” said Function CEO Jonathan Swerdlin. “By connecting function members’ health data to Perplexity Health, we’re creating a new intelligence layer that turns disjointed data into answers people can trust and act on.”

Perplexity Health’s first rollout will be limited to Pro and Max users of the platform in the United States in the coming weeks, with broader partners and geographies expected later.

#entering #consumer #health #arena

Leave a Comment