Google’s plan to win the AI health race? Play nice with Apple and other rivals

By Lisa Eadicicco, CNN

(CNN) — Google wants to be your go-to fitness coach and wellness adviser… even if you have an Apple Watch.

The tech giant announced a slew of health updates on Thursday that put its AI coach front and center, part of a broader strategy to compete with OpenAI, Microsoft and a wave of other tech companies racing to dominate how people learn about their health.

For Google, expanding beyond its existing customer base of Fitbit and Pixel Watch owners is key. It’s betting the AI health assistant in its new Google Health app, announced Thursday, will lure Apple Watch, Oura ring and Garmin watch users, along with those who don’t own a health tracker at all.

Google lags behind Apple, Samsung, and Chinese tech giants Xiaomi and Huawei in the global wearable tech market, according to market research firm International Data Corporation. But the latest updates suggest Google is more focused on competing with OpenAI and Microsoft in health than dominating the smartwatch market. In the AI race, consumers are increasingly turning to ChatGPT for health questions.

“An athlete today has a whole team doing this…They have a nutritionist, they have a sleep coach, they have a fitness trainer,” said Rishi Chandra, general manager of Google Health. “Why can’t all of us have that equivalent? And that’s really what the health coach is all about.”

Some health institutions, like the Mayo Clinic and the Duke University School of Medicine, warn that AI can be inaccurate. They argue that AI tools can fail to provide necessary context and lack the ability to reason and run tests like a medical professional.

Google, OpenAI and Microsoft have said their products aren’t intended for medical use or to replace doctors.

Google will update the Fitbit app to become the new Google Health app starting May 19. That app, which includes Google’s AI Health Coach powered by the company’s Gemini models, will provide summaries of health records that users choose to share, personalized weekly fitness plans and a chatbot that can answer questions about a user’s fitness and medical data. The company is also launching a new Fitbit wristband called the Fitbit Air, which lacks a screen and is meant to be used alongside the new app.

The AI coach will also notice trends in a person’s sleep and workouts and summarize them in the app. For example, it might flag that a user’s 4-mile run contributed to their weekly 20-mile goal, or that the biometrics from their Fitbit or Google Pixel wearable indicated they were more rested after sleeping for a few extra hours.

Many features require a Google Health Premium subscription, which is separate from Google’s other paid AI plans. A preview version of the AI helper has been available in the Fitbit app since October.

Google is actively looking at how to integrate its AI health coach with tools for sharing health data between different apps, like Health Connect for Android and HealthKit for Apple, Chandra said.

The Google Health app already works with data from other apps and devices, but the AI assistant within it is only available for Pixel Watch and Fitbit products today. Google said it’s working to add AI coaching support in Google Health for the Apple Watch and other devices later this year.

“That’s my goal,” said Chandra. “So you can decide whatever hardware you want.”

Sharing data between apps could help put the tech giant at the forefront of how consumers use AI. One in four US adults said they use AI for healthcare research or advice, often before or after a doctor’s visit, according to an April survey from the West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America. OpenAI said earlier this year that 230 million people turn to ChatGPT for health-related questions each week.

And the competition is heating up. Samsung, smart ring maker Oura and fitness tracking wristband company Whoop have all added AI-generated observations and tips to their apps in recent years.

Microsoft took a similar approach as Google in March and launched Copilot Health, which used AI to spot trends in data from wearable devices and health records. OpenAI in January introduced ChatGPT Health, a part of the app that connects medical records and data from wellness apps.

For Google, allowing its AI coach to access data from other devices could be critical in helping it compete in the health space.

“We want to meet users where they are,” Chandra said. “People who love their Apple Watch: Great, that’s fine. Let’s go work with you.”

The-CNN-Wire
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