Microsoft launches Copilot Health to analyze medical records and fitness data with AI

Copilot Health Is Microsoft's Doctor-Built Spin on Medical AI

Microsoft is taking a major swing at health AI. The company announced on Thursday that it's introducing Copilot Health, a new experience inside its chatbot that will bring together all your medical records and wearable data with an AI that's designed to help you understand it all. "We are really on the cusp of building a true medical superintelligence," said Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft AI CEO. "One that can learn everything about you, all of your health conditions, from your wearable data, your electronic health records, and use that to provide support and insights and intelligence at your fingertips." A recent Microsoft survey found that mobile Copilot users ask the chatbot health-related queries more than for any other topic. Copilot Health was built to answer those questions. Microsoft's health AI was fine-tuned by its in-house clinicians and an external panel of hundreds of clinicians in more than 24 countries. It uses the National Academy of Medicine's framework for evaluating credible medical sources and information from Harvard Medical School via a 2025 licensing agreement. Copilot Health is inside the regular, consumer version of Copilot. But it's an entirely separate experience, designed that way to keep your health information separate from your usual chats. Because it's been specifically trained for health questions, it ought to be more helpful and accurate than the regular version of Copilot or another chatbot. ChatGPT introduced a similar experience earlier this year. Your health information won't pop up in responses from the regular Copilot, only in the new health tab. You can delete your data at any time by simply toggling off a setting -- something so easy it raises the question why all AI companies don't make it that simple to delete your data. Your information isn't used to train Microsoft's AI models, the company says. But your medical information in AI tools like Copilot is not protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The benefit of using Copilot Health is having a place where all your medical and health information lives, with an AI that's trained to help answer your questions about it. You can connect data from your smartwatches and rings, as well as upload your medical records. Through third-party programs like HealthEx and CLEAR, you can upload files from multiple doctors' offices, hospitals and labs at one time. If you choose to share your electronic health record, the AI can make more informed recommendations and reference specific doctors' visit notes and lab results. But don't use Copilot Health as a replacement for a physician. What the AI can do is discuss your health concerns, help you prepare for upcoming appointments and help you build healthier habits. "Copilot Health is not meant to give you a definitive diagnosis or a formal treatment plan, but it's certainly here to support you in getting to the right answers," said Dr. Dominic King, vice president of health at Microsoft AI. The former surgeon led the team that built Copilot Health. For example, it can help you come up with a list of questions to ask your doctor, break down lab results and find a provider that accepts your insurance. Copilot Health can discuss your health concerns, like understanding any new symptoms, but it can't diagnose or prescribe medication. Microsoft is doing a slow rollout, beginning with adults (ages 18 plus) in the US, with English as the only language. You can sign up to join the waitlist for Copilot Health now. There are some existing uses of AI in health care today, but they're disparate. Wearables have new AI-powered data insights and coaching. Some doctors are using AI scribe tools to take notes during appointments with patients. Administrative and insurance work also has its own AI tools, particularly around claims processing (including making denials, in some cases). The common thread is that none of the AI is without flaws, and it should never be used to make important decisions without human oversight. For AI believers, the tangled, bureaucratic web of American health care is the perfect place to prove that AI intervention can make a real difference. But AI in health care is like putting a Band-Aid on a gunshot wound -- a halfway measure that doesn't fix the underlying problems. It's too soon to tell if Microsoft's goal of a medical superintelligence is viable. But for now, Copilot Health illustrates a more productive use of AI -- more than filling the internet with slop. "I think it is perhaps the most important and most positively impactful contribution that AI can make in the world," Suleyman said. "And it's enormously important to us."

Microsoft Copilot now boarding your health information

It's safe and secure, Redmond insists, but don't expect medical advice Microsoft wants to store your healthcare data so that its AI "delivers personalized health insights that you can act on," but without the liability that comes with actual medical advice. This biz has created a supposedly "separate, secure space within Copilot" to do so, under the name Copilot Health. The company's announcement buries the lede. At the end of its post comes the disclaimer: "Copilot Health is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent diseases or other conditions and is not a substitute for professional medical advice." That's perhaps for the best in light of a recent UK study that found chatbots give poor medical advice. Nonetheless, people commonly consult AI models for advice about their health. When OpenAI counted up potential customers, it found more than 40 million people worldwide asking ChatGPT for healthcare advice each day. Eager to tap into that market, OpenAI announced ChatGPT Health in January. Anthropic threw its hat into the ring a few days later with Claude for Healthcare. Microsoft's own research on how Copilot is used indicates that almost one in five conversations involves assessment of a personal symptom or condition. In a social media post, Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, said, "I think people are still underestimating how profound this transformation is going to be. Today we're announcing Copilot Health, enabling users to connect all their EHR records and wearable data in a secure, private health space that Copilot can analyze and reason about to provide personalized insights and proactive nudges." These personalized insights and proactive nudges are not medical advice though; they're intended to promote something more nebulous - wellness. Suleyman suggests that Copilot Health will help people come up with focused questions to present to actual doctors during medical appointments. Copilot Health is described as a way to help people organize activity data from consumer wearable devices such as Apple Watch, Oura, Fitbit, and others - information that can then be combined into a profile alongside hospital health records and lab results. Per Microsoft's disclaimer, this is not intended as medical advice. But it certainly sounds like that's the goal - Suleyman says that Microsoft wants "to make this service available to the billions of people around the world who struggle to access reliable medical advice." But the distinction between regulated medical advice and best-effort AI emissions about health may become more difficult to discern, thanks to the US Food and Drug Administration's relaxation of wearable rules at the start of the year. As law firm Arnold & Porter noted in January, "the revised policy concerning wearables likely means that more AI-enabled CDS [clinical decision support] can be made available as non-device CDS, i.e., without FDA review." Copilot Health comes with assurances about security and privacy, an area where Microsoft's track record speaks for itself. "Your Copilot Health conversations and data are isolated from general Copilot and kept under additional access, privacy, and safety controls," insist Microsoft's medical messengers Bay Gross, Peter Hames, Chris Kelly, Dominic King, and Harsha Nori. "Data in Copilot Health is protected with industry leading safeguards, including encryption at rest and in transit, strict access controls, and the ability to manage and delete your information when you choose. You can disconnect your connectors to health data sources such as electronic health records or wearables instantaneously at any time. Your information in Copilot Health is not used for model training." ®

Microsoft's Copilot Health can use AI to turn your fitness data and medical records 'into a coherent story'

Microsoft has unveiled Copilot Health, an AI-powered tool it claims can help make sense of your medical records, health history and fitness data from wearables, should you grant it access to that information. The company said it will be in a "separate, secure space" in the Copilot app and that the idea is to help provide you with more context and insights so you can ask your doctor the right questions when you see them. Copilot Health is designed to help you better understand your medical information as a whole, Microsoft says. It is not "intended to diagnose, treat or prevent diseases or other conditions and is not a substitute for professional medical advice," the company pointed out in a blog post. The tool can pull in activity, fitness and sleep data from more than 50 devices, including Apple Watch, Oura and Fitbit. Through HealthEx, it can access health records that include visit summaries, medication details and test results from more than 50,000 hospitals and provider organizations in the US. It can tap into lab test results from Function, should you allow it to do so. Copilot Health can take all those details and apply "intelligence to turn them into a coherent story," such as helping you pinpoint the reasons why you don't sleep too well, the company suggested. It can access real-time provider directories in the US to help users find clinicians based on factors like location, specialty, spoken languages and insurance coverage. Microsoft says that, across AI-powered consumer products like Copilot and Bing, users ask more than 50 million health-related questions every day. "We've improved the quality and reliability of answers by elevating information from credible health organizations across 50 countries, as verified by our clinical team using principles independently established by the National Academy of Medicine," the blog post states. "Responses include clear citations with easy links to source material, alongside expert‑written answer cards from Harvard Health." As far as privacy is concerned, Microsoft says Copilot Health data and conversations are siloed from the broader Copilot app and there are extra access and safety controls in place, including "encryption at rest and in transit." You can delete your information and cut off the app's access to health records and wearable data at any time. Microsoft also notes that it won't use your Copilot Health information to train its models. The company explained that Copilot Health was informed by its responsible AI principles. Microsoft built the tool in collaboration with its own clinical team and with the expertise and feedback of more than 230 physicians from dozens of countries. "Copilot Health has achieved ISO/IEC 42001 certification, the world's first standard for AI management systems, meaning an independent third party has verified how we build, govern and continuously improve the AI behind this service," it noted. Microsoft has opened up a waitlist for those interested in trying Copilot Health. The tool will initially be available in English in the US for those aged 18 and over. The company is working on adding support for more language and voice options and it will announce availability for those and other territories down the line. While users will be able to try Copilot Health for free at first, Microsoft plans to charge for access via a subscription, according to The New York Times. The company has not yet disclosed pricing details. The Copilot Health announcement comes just a couple of days after Amazon expanded its Health AI tool beyond One Medical. It's now available on the Amazon website and app. Prime members in the US have the option to chat about certain conditions with a One Medical provider via direct message at no extra cost. Earlier this year, OpenAI announced that it was testing ChatGPT Health. Anthropic has healthcare tools as well. Given how tough it is for many folks to access affordable healthcare and the fact their data and health records are often spread across a number of providers, some might believe there are benefits of using such tools from AI companies. However, there's a big difference between tracking your sleep or calling your doctor after an Apple Watch detects signs of atrial fibrillation and entrusting all of your medical information to a chatbot. There are also issues like AI hallucinations and chatbots providing users with straight-up bad advice, as well as the possibility that an LLM-based tool might downplay or exaggerate potential risks.

A.I. Chatbots Want Your Health Records. Tread Carefully.

Sign up for the On Tech newsletter. Get our best tech reporting from the week. Get it sent to your inbox. For the last few years, the tech industry has convinced people that their artificially intelligent chatbots get better the more data you feed them. The next step is to get users to share their most sensitive information: their health records. What could go wrong? Microsoft this week unveiled a tool that will let users share records from multiple health providers with its chatbot, Copilot. The records can then be combined with data gathered by a user's fitness device, such as an Apple Watch. After analyzing all the information, the chatbot will come up with a high-level overview of health issues for the user. Microsoft's announcement echoed moves by Amazon, OpenAI and Anthropic, which began testing similar tools -- Health AI, ChatGPT Health and Claude for Healthcare -- this year. By collecting health data and offering direct feedback, the companies, whose A.I. chatbots have made headlines for contributing to some users' psychosis, isolation and unhealthy habits, are treading into risky territory. (The New York Times has sued OpenAI and Microsoft, claiming copyright infringement of news content related to A.I. systems. The two companies have denied the suit's claims.) In interviews, physicians said there might be upsides to chatbot-assisted health care, like helping people gain insight into their health at a time when health care is becoming increasingly unaffordable. But sharing health records with tech companies creates a host of privacy risks. Like past technologies that made people overly anxious about their health, the chatbots could also lead to unnecessary trips to the doctor. Here's what you need to know. How would this work? On Microsoft's Copilot website and mobile app, users will be able to click on a "Health" tab and create a profile by answering questions about their age and sex. From there, users can opt to share their health records and data from devices like an Apple Watch, Fitbit and an Oura sleep tracker. Users can then prod the chatbot with questions or symptoms by saying things like, "I haven't been sleeping well." The chatbot then analyzes the health records and wearable data to make observations, such as sleep trends since a recent hospital visit. The chatbot can also come up with a "bottom line" summary of health issues to pay attention to, such as sleep deprivation, diabetes and limited physical activity. Users will initially be able to try Copilot Health for free when it is released this year. Microsoft said it planned to charge a subscription fee to use the tool, but it did not share a price. What are the potential benefits? Medical records have been chaotic and cumbersome for patients to navigate because the information can be scattered across various databases used by different health providers. (A primary care physician could struggle to offer feedback on a foot injury, for example, if the patient's podiatrist used a different record system.) Microsoft's A.I. could help connect the dots from many different health providers, along with a user's fitness device data. Microsoft said a doctor would probably need hours to manually review all of a person's medical records and fitness device data to come up with a high-level overview on health. It said Copilot Health could do this in seconds. "This is about giving consumers and patients incredible insight and intelligence over their own record and helping them navigate very complex challenges and a very complex system that we've all created for them," said Dr. Dominic King, Microsoft's vice president of health in its A.I. division. As health care costs have risen, many Americans are dropping coverage. An A.I. chatbot could be a low-cost way to help people pay closer attention to their health and research information on symptoms, similar to a web search on a site like WebMD. What are the risks? In recent years, cyberattacks have breached hospitals and health care systems. Putting health records in a central place makes that information a much more tempting target for criminals, said Matthew Green, an associate professor of computer science at Johns Hopkins University. A victim's health data could expose conditions that he or she would want to keep private. "There is a pot of gold of high-value data that is in one location that people can get," Dr. Green said. Similarly, law enforcement agencies that want an individual's health records could go to Microsoft instead of multiple providers, said Mario Trujillo, a data privacy lawyer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights nonprofit. A woman pursuing reproductive health care in a state with an abortion ban could be at higher risk, he added. Also, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, which strictly requires traditional health care providers to protect patient privacy, does not apply to tech companies offering chatbots. So these companies, which are not health care providers even when they offer similar services, could do what they wished with health records, such as use the information to train their A.I. or show ads related to a user's health conditions. Microsoft said people's health data would be encrypted and would not be used to improve its A.I. or serve targeted ads. It also said it gave law enforcement agencies access to customer data only in response to valid legal requests. Is health advice from a chatbot trustworthy? Microsoft says Copilot Health is meant to help people understand their health and prepare for appointments -- not replace a doctor's expertise. Its news release included a disclaimer that the chatbot "is not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent diseases." Dr. Girish Nadkarni, chief A.I. officer for the Mount Sinai Health System, said it was naïve to think that users would not ask a chatbot that had access to all of their medical records for diagnoses and advice. "Sure, you can include a disclaimer not to use it that way," he said. "But people are going to use it that way. That's just human nature." So far, research suggests that chatbots are not yet ready for that responsibility. A study published last month analyzed several chatbots, including those from OpenAI and Meta, and found that they were no better than a web search at guiding users toward the correct diagnoses or helping them determine what they should do next. And the technology posed unique risks, sometimes presenting false information or drastically changing its advice depending on slight changes in the wording of the questions. These weaknesses have already led to high-profile mistakes. For instance, a 60-year-old man was held for weeks in a psychiatric unit after ChatGPT suggested cutting down on salt by eating sodium bromide instead, causing paranoia and hallucinations. OpenAI said the current version of ChatGPT was significantly better at answering health questions than the model, since phased out, that was tested in the study. Meta did not respond to a request for comment. Some new research suggests that even models that are tailored for users' health questions, like ChatGPT Health, pose risks. When Dr. Nadkarni and his colleagues input details from hypothetical medical cases into the model, which was released in January, it missed high-risk emergencies, in one case failing to recommend the emergency room for someone with impending respiratory failure. Another risk is that a chatbot's basic summaries of health problems could create anxiety, said Dr. Lisa Piercey, a former health commissioner for Tennessee. A sinus headache this time of year is likely to be a symptom of allergies, but a chatbot could raise the possibility of a more serious condition that spurs an unnecessary visit to the doctor. "It very well could tell you you've got a brain tumor," she said. "That causes a ton of anxiety." Copilot Health has also not yet been studied by independent researchers. Dr. King of Microsoft said the chatbot was designed to avoid giving medical advice even in the face of pointed questions and instead offer "guidance and support." Rather than tell users that they have a specific condition, it may provide a list of possible diagnoses. Or instead of recommending a medication, it may provide some questions that users can ask their doctors. The company also said it was releasing Copilot Health gradually, testing new features with a small set of users each step of the way, to ensure that the experience remained safe and reliable.

Microsoft launches Copilot Health

Microsoft has launched Copilot Health, a dedicated, secure space within its Copilot AI assistant that aggregates personal health data from wearables, electronic health records, and laboratory results, then applies AI to surface what the company calls a "coherent story" of a user's health. The product opened its waitlist on 12 March 2026 and is rolling out in phases, initially to English-speaking adults in the United States. The launch marks Microsoft's most direct entry into consumer health AI and places it alongside OpenAI, which introduced ChatGPT Health in January 2026, and Anthropic, which unveiled Claude for Healthcare the same month. In the words of Dominic King, VP of Health at Microsoft AI: "2026 feels like an important year for consumer health." He told press briefing attendees that Microsoft's consumer AI products, Copilot and Bing, already field more than 50 million health-related questions a day. Copilot Health appears as a dedicated tab in the Copilot web interface and mobile app. Users create a health profile by entering basic details such as age and sex, then optionally connect data sources. From there, the tool can analyse lab results, interpret wearable readings, surface connections across data streams, and help users prepare questions ahead of clinical appointments. Three connectors power the platform's personal health layer. Wearable data, covering activity levels, sleep patterns, and vital signs, flows in from more than 50 devices, with Apple Health, Oura, and Fitbit cited as examples. Electronic health records come through HealthEx, a US health data infrastructure provider whose network spans more than 52,000 healthcare organisations via direct FHIR-endpoint exchange, as well as TEFCA individual access services across more than 12,000 organisations. Lab results connect through Function, a venture-backed medical testing provider. HealthEx confirmed the partnership in a separate press release issued on the same day. The company's co-founder and CEO, Priyanka Agarwal, M.D., described the integration as giving users access to their health history "across labs, medications, conditions, clinical notes and more" with the ability to revoke access at any time. Microsoft itself confirmed that users can disconnect any connector instantaneously and that health data in Copilot Health is not used for AI model training, a point the company has repeated prominently in all communications around the product. For general health information, as opposed to personal data, Microsoft says it has elevated content from credible health organisations across 50 countries, with source selection verified by its clinical team using standards set by the National Academy of Medicine. Responses include citations and source links. The platform also serves expert-written answer cards from Harvard Health and connects to real-time US provider directories, allowing users to search for clinicians by specialty, location, languages spoken, and insurance coverage. Microsoft is framing Copilot Health as a step toward a longer-term goal it describes as "medical superintelligence", a term the company has been using since at least late 2025. The vision is AI that can combine the breadth of a general physician with the depth of a specialist. The vehicle most cited for this ambition is the Microsoft AI Diagnostic Orchestrator (MAI-DxO), a research-stage system the company says has produced strong results in clinical evaluation environments. Microsoft says forthcoming publications will detail how MAI-DxO can be applied across a wider range of cases and conditions. The company states that any new AI features drawing on these research capabilities will only be released into Copilot Health after rigorous clinical evaluation and with clear labelling, a commitment that reads as a regulatory buffer as much as a product design principle. "We truly believe we're on the path to medical superintelligence that brings together both the wide-ranging knowledge of a family doctor or general physician as well as the deep domain expertise of a specialist," said Dominic King, VP of Health, Microsoft AI. Microsoft has been careful on data governance. Copilot Health data and conversations are stored separately from general Copilot interactions, encrypted at rest and in transit, subject to stricter access controls, and not used for model training. The product has achieved ISO/IEC 42001 certification, the international standard for AI management systems, which requires third-party verification of how an organisation builds, governs, and improves its AI services. The platform has also been developed with an external advisory panel of more than 230 physicians from more than 24 countries, alongside consumer advocacy organisations including AARP, which serves 38 million older Americans, and the National Health Council, which represents over 180 patient advocacy groups. However, a significant regulatory caveat emerged during press briefings. King confirmed that Copilot Health is not subject to HIPAA, the US federal law governing the privacy and security of patient health data, because it operates as a direct-to-consumer service where users are sharing their own data, rather than as a covered healthcare entity. King said: "HIPAA is not required for a direct-consumer experience like this when you're using your own data," while adding that Microsoft intends to announce updates on its HIPAA controls. He declined to specify what those updates would entail. This distinction matters. HIPAA compliance obligates healthcare organisations to strict data handling, breach notification, and minimum necessary use standards. Consumer health platforms that fall outside HIPAA, as Copilot Health does at launch, are not subject to the same enforcement regime. The FDA's relaxation of rules around wearable clinical decision support at the start of 2026 adds further regulatory complexity: it means more AI-enabled health tools can reach consumers without pre-market FDA review. Initial expert reaction has been broadly cautious rather than hostile. Arjun Manrai, assistant professor of biomedical informatics at Harvard Medical School, told Healthcare Brew that the approach makes strategic sense, describing the use of personal context in AI health interactions as likely to become a defining trend in 2026. He called helping people prepare for doctor's appointments a good target for large language models. Physicians interviewed by the New York Times acknowledged that AI-assisted health tools could help people access health information at a time when care is becoming increasingly expensive and clinicians increasingly stretched. But the same physicians flagged concerns about privacy risks from sharing records with large technology companies, and the potential for tools like Copilot Health to prompt unnecessary clinical visits by making users anxious about data patterns that may be clinically insignificant. Microsoft's standard disclaimer sits at the bottom of every Copilot Health communication: the product is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent diseases, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.

Now Copilot wants to check your vitals, too

The tool features encrypted, isolated data storage with user control, though concerns exist about AI accuracy in medical advice per Nature Medicine studies. Ready to let AI pore over your medical records? Claude and ChatGPT are already doing it, and now Microsoft's Copilot is ready to review your chart. Copilot Health is a "separate, secure space" within the Copilot app that "makes sense of your information" from a variety of health-related sources, from your Apple Watch and Oura ring to uploaded lab results, and medical records from your doctor, Microsoft says. As with ChatGPT Health and Claude's health integrations, Copilot Health isn't designed to "replace" your doctor, Microsoft carefully notes. Instead, it's intended as a way to sort through reams of medical data and turn it "into a coherent story," allowing you to "arrive prepared, with the right questions" for your actual doctor visits. For now, Copilot Health is available only in the U.S. for users 18 and over, and you'll have to join a waitlist before trying it out. Once you're signed up with Copilot Health, you'll be able to pipe in your medical records via HealthEx, a healthcare integration that connects with more than 50,000 U.S. hospitals and offers details about your hospital visits, medications, and test results. Copilot Health can also gather health intel from Apple Health, Oura, and Fitbit, good for giving the AI an overview of your daily activity, sleep patterns, and vitals. Your Copilot Health data and chats will be encrypted and "isolated" from the main Copilot app, Microsoft promises, and you'll be able to delete your medical info at will or revoke access to your health integrations at any time. Copilot Health is jumping into a small but rapidly growing market of AI chatbots that can scan your medical records and offer natural-language summaries and health advice. ChatGPT Health, which launched back in January, can also sift through your Apple Health data, and it also works with MyFitnessPal and uploaded medical records. Then there's Claude for Healthcare, which works with Apple Health, Android Health Connect, and the same HealthEx integration as Copilot Health. All the big AI providers are positioning their health services as methods for making sense of your medical records rather than ways to replace a human doctor. But while Copilot Health and other AI chatbots could be helpful for translating confusing medical results or the jargon from a lab tech's X-ray notes, the accuracy of their overall health advice has come under increasing scrutiny. Take a recent study published by Nature Medicine, which found that ChatGPT Health "under-triaged" more than half of simulated emergency scenarios fed to it by medical researchers, meaning it frequently failed to recognize health situations in which the user should stop chatting and call 9-1-1. On the other hand, some doctors argue that health-oriented AI chatbots can offer "useful information" when "used responsibly," and that the alternative "often is nothing, or the patient winging it."

Copilot Health separates medical chats from general AI

Why it matters: Microsoft is entering one of AI's fastest-growing arenas -- health care -- as OpenAI, Amazon and others expand their medical chatbot offerings. Driving the news: Microsoft said Copilot Health will let users combine medical records, lab results and wearable data -- including from Apple Health, Oura and Fitbit -- and have the system analyze it to generate personalized insights. The big picture: OpenAI announced ChatGPT Health in January, while Amazon on Tuesday said it was expanding access to its health chatbot, which previously was limited to customers of its One Medical service. Zoom in: Copilot Health can draw on records from more than 50,000 U.S. health providers and data from 50 different types of wearable devices, Microsoft said. * The tool can help users understand test results, identify trends in sleep, activity or vital signs and prepare questions for doctors ahead of appointments. * For now, the service will be free and limited to U.S. users, with access granted through a waitlist for early testing. Eventually, Microsoft sees this becoming a paid service. Threat level: Copilot Health conversations are kept separate from general Copilot chats and encrypted, Microsoft said. * The company added that health data will not be used to train its AI models. What they're saying: "This is going to be the most important application of AI, full stop," Microsoft AI head Mustafa Suleyman said in an interview. "It is already something that we get 50 million queries about every single day," he added, pointing to recent data shared first with Axios. Between the lines: Suleyman argued Microsoft's long track record in health care and its experience handling sensitive data give it an edge over AI rivals. * "We are, I think, a trusted brand, because Microsoft is old and wise, stable and committed for the very long term," he told Axios. Suleyman said Microsoft sees Copilot Health as the "first steps towards a medical superintelligence," an always-on assistant that can synthesize records, wearables and lab results into personalized guidance. * "I'm one of the very few privileged elites that gets access to a concierge doctor ... and that is like a magical privilege," he said. "I truly believe that this is going to be the thing that we make available to everybody at a very affordable price in the next few years." What we're watching: Whether people are willing to hand over their full medical histories to an AI system may determine how far Microsoft and other AI companies get in their health care push.

Microsoft reveals Copilot Health, an AI to make sense of your wearable and medical reports

Think of it as a smarter, more personal way to understand your own health. We've all been there. Staring at a test result we don't understand, wearing a fitness tracker that spits out numbers without context, or sitting blankly in front of a doctor, not realizing what information we need to share. Microsoft aims to address this with its new AI service, called Copilot Health. What is Copilot Health? Copilot Health is a secure space within Microsoft Copilot that combines your health records, wearable data, and lab results to deliver personalized, actionable health insights. Microsoft is calling it a medical superintelligence for your health-related needs. Recommended Videos Think of it as your personal health assistant that can collect and analyze your health data from various sources, create an accurate medical history, and provide you with detailed reports that you can share with your doctor when needed. It has been developed with input from over 230 physicians across 24 countries, so it's not just engineers guessing at what matters in healthcare. Does it replace your doctor? Not even close. Instead, it's better described as a preparation tool that helps you head into an appointment with the right questions and context to make every minute with your doctor count. Copilot Health can connect to over 50 wearable devices, including Apple Health, Oura ring, and Fitbit. It can even pull health records from over 50,000 US hospitals and provider organizations through HealthEx, and lab results through Function Health. It brings all of that in one coherent place, so you have a productive meeting with your doctor. It's not a diagnostic tool. Instead, it's designed to supplement doctors by providing the right information to help them make accurate diagnoses. Is your data safe? Microsoft says your Copilot Health data is isolated from regular Copilot and protected with encryption in transit and at rest. You get strict access controls and the ability to delete everything when you choose. Your data is also not used for model training. The service has earned ISO/IEC 42001 certification, which is an independent verification of how the AI behind it is built and managed. That said, the medical health data is of the most personal kind, and you should only share it with an AI provider if you are fully comfortable with it. Copilot Health is rolling out in phases, and a waitlist is now open for early access.

Microsoft launches Copilot Health, a dedicated space for personal health data and AI-driven insights | Fortune

Microsoft has launched Copilot Health, a dedicated space within its Copilot AI assistant that brings together and analyzes users' health data from wearables, electronic health records, and lab results. The new feature can combine data like activity levels and sleep patterns from wearable devices, such as an Oura ring or Fitbit, as well as health records from more than 50,000 U.S. hospitals and provider organizations through a platform called HealthEx. The company says Copilot Health then draws on verified sources from credible health organizations across 50 countries and serves expert-written answer cards from Harvard Health. It also connects to real-time U.S. provider directories so users can search for clinicians by specialty, location, language, and insurance coverage. Microsoft says its Copilot tool is already handling more than 50 million consumer health questions a day across its products and describes Copilot Health as a stepping stone toward what it calls "medical superintelligence." "This work paves the way to providing users with trusted access to medical superintelligence -- health AI that can ultimately combine the wide-ranging knowledge of a general physician, with the depth of a specialist," the company said in a blog post. The launch puts Microsoft directly in competition with OpenAI, which debuted ChatGPT Health in January, and Anthropic, which unveiled Claude for Healthcare the same week. Google announced a partnership with health management platform b.well in October 2025, aimed at using its AI to personalize health data access, but it has not yet unveiled a dedicated health feature set for its Gemini chatbot. Like OpenAI, Microsoft says it will not use Copilot Health data to train its models. The company has obtained ISO/IEC 42001 certification -- an independent standard for AI management systems -- and says health conversations are isolated from general Copilot under additional privacy controls. An external panel of more than 230 physicians from 24 countries contributed to safety and clinical review. The product release comes in the same week as Microsoft published research into how people already use its AI tools for health questions. In an analysis of more than 500,000 de-identified Copilot conversations from January 2026, the company found that nearly one in five involved personal symptom assessment or condition discussion, and that personal health queries spiked sharply in the evening and overnight hours, when traditional healthcare is least available. One in seven personal health queries concerned someone other than the user -- a child, parent, or partner -- suggesting the tool functions as a caregiving resource as much as a personal one. A significant share of queries focused on navigating the healthcare system itself: finding providers, understanding insurance coverage. Copilot Health opens its waitlist on Thursday, with availability limited to English-speaking adults in the United States. The company said expanded language support and additional geographies will follow.

Microsoft latest in the Big Tech race for AI health tools

Copilot Health analyses health records, history and wearable data to generate 'suggestions' and answers. Consumers have long used AI chatbots for healthcare queries. Despite concerns around its effectiveness, AI giants are making more dedicated tools to ask sensitive questions. Yesterday (12 March), Microsoft introduced Copilot Health, a separate, "secure space" within the Copilot platform, where users can upload medical information and ask queries. Copilot Health, according to the company, brings together health records, wearable data, and health history into one place. "We're approaching the dawn of medical 'superintelligence' - the moment when affordable, world-class medical knowledge and support is at your fingertips whenever you need it," commented Mustafa Suleyman, the CEO of Microsoft AI in a post on X. Microsoft - as well as the likes of OpenAI and Anthropic, with similar tools - maintain that AI chatbots not a replacement for doctors, but rather something that helps users better understand their health data. Amazon has also launched a similar tool, and all of them promise privacy and security. According to OpenAI, more than 230m people globally asked ChatGPT health and wellness-related questions weekly. By far the biggest AI chatbot with more than 900m weekly users, trends on ChatGPT are a strong indicator on overall consumer behaviour around AI usage. While it is generally understood that AI systems don't actually "understand" information, models are increasingly being deployed in sensitive areas such as healthcare for large-scale data analysis. This, even as growing concern around data privacy from the service providers and third parties mount, as well as documented cases of AI 'psychosis', isolation and unhealthy habits. Despite the concerns, as pointed out by Forrester principal analyst Arielle Trzcinski, Big Tech is winning this race over traditional healthcare providers. "Providers that delay embedding similar tools into their own digital front doors risk losing influence over patient decisions - not because any one tool is perfect, but because they're available," Trzcinski said. "These announcements signal a shift in how consumers think about access. These experiences must now offer continuous, AI‑mediated guidance." Forrester finds that consumers responded equally favourably to AI tools provided by healthcare providers and public AI tools. Don't miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic's digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

Microsoft launches Copilot Health to help consumers understand their medical data - SiliconANGLE

Microsoft launches Copilot Health to help consumers understand their medical data Microsoft Corp. is updating its Copilot artificial intelligence assistant with a new tool designed to answer users' medical questions. Copilot Health became available today through a waitlist open to U.S. adults. Microsoft plans to expand access over time, as well as add support for languages other than English. Copilot Health takes the form of a new Copilot interface section into which consumers can enter medical inquiries. According to Microsoft, the tool can explain lab results and help users prepare questions ahead of a doctor's appointment. It also functions as a search engine. Copilot Health finds physicians based on parameters such as location, specialty and whether they accept the user's insurance. "We've improved the quality and reliability of answers by elevating information from credible health organizations across 50 countries, as verified by our clinical team using principles independently established by the National Academy of Medicine," five Microsoft staffers wrote in a blog post today. Users can further enhance Copilot Health's responses by giving it access to their medical information. The tool integrates with a cloud platform called HealthEx that aggregates data from U.S. healthcare providers. When the integration is active, Copilot Health can incorporate information such as doctor's visit summaries into its responses. Another connector enables the platform to pull lab results from Function Health Inc., a venture-backed medical testing provider. Additionally, Copilot Health integrates with more than 50 wearables including the Apple Watch. Such devices track the wearer's heart rate, skin temperature and other biometric details along with higher-level information such as sleep patterns. Copilot Health stores users' health data separately from non-medical chat logs. Microsoft says that it encrypts the information both at rest and in motion. Additionally, the tool provides controls that enable users to delete their Copilot Health history and disconnect the tool from any third-party services or wearables with which they integrated it. Microsoft is the third major tech firm to have launched a personal health AI since the start of the year. In early January, OpenAI Group PBC introduced a tool called ChatGPT Health. It offers many of the same features as Copilot Health. ChatGPT Health integrates third-party clinical data sources and stores medical information in an isolated environment. Shortly after OpenAI debuted the tool, Amazon.com Inc. joined the fray by debuting Health AI. This past Tuesday, the company made the tool available via its e-commerce website and app. Health AI can perform several tasks that aren't supported by Copilot Health including prescription renewal management.

Microsoft debuts Copilot Health to unify medical records and fitness data

Microsoft unveiled Copilot Health, an AI tool designed to organize medical records and fitness data into a coherent narrative. The tool operates within a secure space in the Copilot app to provide context for user questions directed at doctors. Microsoft stated the tool is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent diseases and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. The development addresses the fragmentation of health data across providers and the volume of daily health inquiries on AI platforms. Microsoft reports users ask over 50 million health-related questions daily across its AI products. The tool aims to help users access affordable healthcare by consolidating data from disparate sources. Copilot Health pulls activity, fitness, and sleep data from over 50 devices, including Apple Watch, Oura, and Fitbit. Through HealthEx, it accesses health records from more than 50,000 US hospitals and provider organizations. The tool can also tap into lab test results from Function if the user grants access. The AI applies intelligence to turn disparate details into a coherent story, such as identifying reasons for poor sleep. It accesses real-time US provider directories to help users find clinicians based on location, specialty, spoken languages, and insurance coverage. Microsoft sources information from credible health organizations across 50 countries. "We've improved the quality and reliability of answers by elevating information from credible health organizations across 50 countries," Microsoft stated. The company verified this information using principles established by the National Academy of Medicine. Responses include clear citations with links to source material and expert-written answer cards from Harvard Health. Privacy measures include siloing Copilot Health data from the broader Copilot app and encryption at rest and in transit. Users can delete their information and revoke access to health records and wearable data at any time. Microsoft stated it will not use Copilot Health information to train its models. The tool was built following Microsoft's responsible AI principles in collaboration with its clinical team and over 230 physicians. Copilot Health achieved ISO/IEC 42001 certification, the first standard for AI management systems. An independent third party verified how Microsoft builds, governs, and improves the AI behind the service. Microsoft has opened a waitlist for interested users. The tool will initially be available in English in the US for adults aged 18 and over. The company plans to add support for more languages and voice options and will announce availability for other territories later. While initially free, Microsoft plans to charge for access via a subscription, according to The New York Times. Pricing details have not been disclosed. The announcement follows Amazon's expansion of its Health AI tool and OpenAI's testing of ChatGPT Health. Potential benefits include helping users access affordable healthcare and consolidate data spread across multiple providers. Risks include AI hallucinations, bad advice, and the potential for LLM-based tools to downplay or exaggerate risks. These tools differ from simple tracking or doctor communication functions. Microsoft is a technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. The company's stock ticker is MSFT. Copilot Health is the latest addition to Microsoft's AI-powered consumer products.

Microsoft Unveils AI Health Tool That Can Read Your Medical Records

By HealthDay Staff HealthDay ReporterFRIDAY, March 13, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Microsoft is rolling out a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool designed to help people manage their health. The feature, called Copilot Health, works inside the company's Copilot app and can provide personalized health advice using a user's medical data, if the user chooses to share it. With permission, the tool can review information such as test results, medical history, medications, doctor visit notes and data from wearable devices like Apple Watch or Fitbit. Microsoft says the feature will launch first in the United States through a phased rollout. "It's something that Microsoft is uniquely placed to do with our scale, with our regulatory experience, with the kind of trust and confidence that people have in our security and the history that we have as a mature, stable player," Mustafa Suleyman, chief executive of Microsoft's AI division, told The Wall Street Journal. Microsoft said health is already the most common topic folks ask about on the Copilot mobile app. The new tool appears as a separate tab within the app. Users can connect hospital records, lab results and wearable health data to receive answers tailored to their situation. If users choose not to connect their records, the chatbot can still provide more general health information. Company leaders say the feature could be especially useful for people who are managing chronic health conditions. The tool can connect to health data from more than 50,000 hospitals and provider organizations in the United States, according to Microsoft. To use the service, users must confirm their identity through Clear, an identity verification system. Health records are then retrieved through HealthEx, a company that follows federal standards for sharing medical data. Because medical records are highly sensitive, Microsoft says the data will be encrypted and kept separate from the normal Copilot chats. Users can also manage or delete their information, the company said. Microsoft says it worked with more than 230 physicians to help develop the system and review its safety. Suleyman said the company is taking a "deliberate, slightly slower, more meticulous approach" to the initiative, given the sensitive nature of medical data. The new feature is also part of Microsoft's broader push to compete in the fast-growing AI market. The company's Copilot chatbot trails competitors such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini in consumer use. Microsoft hopes the health feature will attract more users to the app. The company plans to eventually charge for the service, but pricing has not been announced. More information Johns Hopkins Engineering Online has more on AI in health care. SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal, March 12, 2026

Microsoft's Copilot Health Can Share Insights About Your Health

Microsoft says user data remains isolated from the general Copilot Microsoft introduced Copilot Health, a new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered medical insights feature, on Thursday. It is a separate, dedicated space within Copilot where users can add their health data from various sources, and then let the AI chatbot analyse the data to provide personalised information. Users will also be able to ask questions about their ailments and overall well-being. However, the Redmond-based tech giant has emphasised that the AI tool is not a replacement for doctors or medical professionals. Microsoft Releases Copilot Health in the US In a newsroom post, the tech giant announced Copilot Health and described it as "a separate, secure space within Copilot where medical intelligence makes sense of your information and delivers personalised health insights that you can act on." Microsoft says the AI-powered tool solves the problem of the lack of personalised health insights despite the overabundance of medical and health data. It essentially gives users a space where they can add their health records, wearable data, and test results, and then let Copilot connect the dots. Once the AI has processed the information, it will be able to answer questions about everyday ailments and any major issues the user is facing. Users will also be able to ask for ways to improve overall health and receive personalised solutions. The company claims that it already responds to more than 50 million consumer health queries each day. Copilot Health's responses also hold onto the high standard by providing citations and URLs to source material with responses. Additionally, users can also find expert-written answer cards from Harvard Health. Microsoft says it has also made it easier to find a doctor or a hospital which accepts the insurance the user has. At launch, Copilot Health supports more than 50 wearable devices and platforms, including Apple Health, Oura, Fitbit, and more. At the same time, it can also source user health records from more than 50,000 US hospitals and providers, with permission. Additionally, comprehensive lab test results from Function can also be uploaded to the AI tool. Coming to data safety, the tech giant claims that it will store users' data separately from regular Copilot data. Additionally, the data is said to be subject to additional access, privacy, and safety controls. Users will be able to manage and delete their information and disconnect the connectors to health data sources and wearables whenever they choose to. Copilot Health is currently launching in English in the US to users aged 18 and older. Microsoft said it is developing additional language and voice options and will expand support to more regions soon.

Why AI chatbots want your health records?

Tech giants like Microsoft are now allowing users to share personal health records with AI chatbots. This move aims to provide users with health insights. However, significant privacy risks are emerging. Experts warn about data breaches and potential misuse of sensitive information. While offering convenience, these tools may also lead to unnecessary health anxieties and doctor visits. For the last few years, the tech industry has convinced people that their artificially intelligent chatbots get better the more data you feed them. The next step is to get users to share their most sensitive information: their health records. What could go wrong? Microsoft this week unveiled a tool that will let users share records from multiple health providers with its chatbot, Copilot. The records can then be combined with data gathered by a user's fitness device, such as an Apple Watch. After analyzing all the information, the chatbot will come up with a high-level overview of health issues for the user. Microsoft's announcement echoed moves by Amazon, OpenAI and Anthropic, which began testing similar tools - Health AI, ChatGPT Health and Claude for Healthcare -- this year. By collecting health data and offering direct feedback, the companies, whose AI chatbots have made headlines for contributing to some users' psychosis, isolation and unhealthy habits, are treading into risky territory. (The New York Times has sued OpenAI and Microsoft, claiming copyright infringement of news content related to AI systems. The two companies have denied the suit's claims.) In interviews, physicians said there might be upsides to chatbot-assisted health care, like helping people gain insight into their health at a time when health care is becoming increasingly unaffordable. But sharing health records with tech companies creates a host of privacy risks. Like past technologies that made people overly anxious about their health, the chatbots could also lead to unnecessary trips to the doctor. Here's what you need to know. How would this work? On Microsoft's Copilot website and mobile app, users will be able to click on a "Health" tab and create a profile by answering questions about their age and sex. From there, users can opt to share their health records and data from devices like an Apple Watch, Fitbit and an Oura sleep tracker. Users can then prod the chatbot with questions or symptoms by saying things like, "I haven't been sleeping well." The chatbot then analyzes the health records and wearable data to make observations, such as sleep trends since a recent hospital visit. The chatbot can also come up with a "bottom line" summary of health issues to pay attention to, such as sleep deprivation, diabetes and limited physical activity. Users will initially be able to try Copilot Health for free when it is released this year. Microsoft said it planned to charge a subscription fee to use the tool, but it did not share a price. What are the potential benefits? Medical records have been chaotic and cumbersome for patients to navigate because the information can be scattered across various databases used by different health providers. (A primary care physician could struggle to offer feedback on a foot injury, for example, if the patient's podiatrist used a different record system.) Microsoft's AI could help connect the dots from many different health providers, along with a user's fitness device data. Microsoft said a doctor would probably need hours to manually review all of a person's medical records and fitness device data to come up with a high-level overview on health. It said Copilot Health could do this in seconds. "This is about giving consumers and patients incredible insight and intelligence over their own record and helping them navigate very complex challenges and a very complex system that we've all created for them," said Dr. Dominic King, Microsoft's vice president of health in its AI division. As health care costs have risen, many Americans are dropping coverage. An AI chatbot could be a low-cost way to help people pay closer attention to their health and research information on symptoms, similar to a web search on a site like WebMD. What are the risks? In recent years, cyberattacks have breached hospitals and health care systems. Putting health records in a central place makes that information much more tempting target for criminals, said Matthew Green, an associate professor of computer science at Johns Hopkins University. A victim's health data could expose conditions that he or she would want to keep private. "There is a pot of gold of high-value data that is in one location that people can get," Green said. Similarly, law enforcement agencies that want an individual's health records could go to Microsoft instead of multiple providers, said Mario Trujillo, a data privacy lawyer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights nonprofit. A woman pursuing reproductive health care in a state with an abortion ban could be at higher risk, he added. Also, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, which strictly requires traditional health care providers to protect patient privacy, does not apply to tech companies offering chatbots. So these companies, which are not health care providers even when they offer similar services, could do what they wished with health records, such as use the information to train their AI or show ads related to a user's health conditions. Microsoft said people's health data would be encrypted and would not be used to improve its AI or serve targeted ads. It also said it gave law enforcement agencies access to customer data only in response to valid legal requests. Is health advice from a chatbot trustworthy? Microsoft says Copilot Health is meant to help people understand their health and prepare for appointments -- not replace a doctor's expertise. Its news release included a disclaimer that the chatbot "is not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent diseases." Dr. Girish Nadkarni, chief AI officer for the Mount Sinai Health System, said it was naive to think that users would not ask a chatbot that had access to all of their medical records for diagnoses and advice. "Sure, you can include a disclaimer not to use it that way," he said. "But people are going to use it that way. That's just human nature." So far, research suggests that chatbots are not yet ready for that responsibility. A study published last month analyzed several chatbots, including those from OpenAI and Meta, and found that they were no better than a web search at guiding users toward the correct diagnoses or helping them determine what they should do next. And the technology posed unique risks, sometimes presenting false information or drastically changing its advice depending on slight changes in the wording of the questions. These weaknesses have already led to high-profile mistakes. For instance, a 60-year-old man was held for weeks in a psychiatric unit after ChatGPT suggested cutting down on salt by eating sodium bromide instead, causing paranoia and hallucinations. OpenAI said the current version of ChatGPT was significantly better at answering health questions than the model, since phased out, that was tested in the study. Meta did not respond to a request for comment. Some new research suggests that even models that are tailored for users' health questions, like ChatGPT Health, pose risks. When Nadkarni and his colleagues input details from hypothetical medical cases into the model, which was released in January, it missed high-risk emergencies, in one case failing to recommend the emergency room for someone with impending respiratory failure. Copilot Health has also not yet been studied by independent researchers. King of Microsoft said the chatbot was designed to avoid giving medical advice even in the face of pointed questions and instead offer "guidance and support." Rather than tell users that they have a specific condition, it may provide a list of possible diagnoses. Or instead of recommending a medication, it may provide some questions that users can ask their doctors. The company also said it was releasing Copilot Health gradually, testing new features with a small set of users each step of the way, to ensure that the experience remained safe and reliable. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Microsoft's New Copilot Health Uses AI to Understand Your Medical Data

Copilot Health is rolling out in the US first with strong privacy protections. Microsoft has launched Copilot Health, an AI-powered health assistant which is integrated into Microsoft Copilot. It allows users to interact with their personal health including medical records, lab results, medication history, and data from wearable devices. You can use Copilot Health to understand your health information and get personalized health insights. Microsoft Copilot Health works with more than 50 wearable devices and supports Apple Health, Fitbit, Oura, and more. Not only that, it can pull health data from 50,000 US healthcare providers and hospitals. Copilot Health will use the data to provide explanations about symptoms, diseases, treatments and medications. It also uses information from trusted medical organizations like Harvard Health. Microsoft says Copilot Health is not meant to replace medical advice from doctors. In fact, users can use Copilot Health to find doctors by their specialty, language, location, and insurance coverage. For security and privacy of your sensitive health data, Microsoft says all your conversations are encrypted, and your health chats are kept separate from regular Copilot chats. In addition, your user data is not used to train AI models, and you can choose to delete or disconnect your data anytime you want. Note that identity verification is done through Clear ID. Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman called the new feature "the dawn of medical superintelligence." Microsoft Copilot Health is rolling out in phases in the US first. Just recently, OpenAI announced ChatGPT Health with similar features. Anthropic also now lets you connect your health data from Apple Health and Android Health with Claude.

Microsoft launches Copilot Health

Microsoft just dropped some exciting news: they're launching Copilot Health! This new initiative is all about leveraging their AI technology to improve healthcare outcomes. Think of it as a smart assistant for the medical world, aiming to boost efficiency and patient care. It's a big step forward in integrating AI into such a critical sector. Microsoft announced today the launch of its Copilot Health service. The tech giant said that it is making the service available through a careful, phased rollout The service will initially be launched in English in the US for adults above the age of 18 years. The company stated that the service is being actively developed in additional language and voice options to expand coverage.

Microsoft Debuts AI Tool to Analyze Users' Medical Records | PYMNTS.com

The service is a separate space within the company's Copilot artificial intelligence tool that can make sense of a user's information and offer personalized health insights, according to a Thursday (March 12) press release. "Copilot Health doesn't replace your doctor," the release said. "It makes every minute you have with them count more. You arrive prepared, with the right questions, the right context, and the confidence that comes from better understanding your own body." The tool combines users' health records, wearable data, and health history into a single place, then employs intelligence to turn them "into a coherent story," according to the release. "Where the connection between your broken sleep and the reasons why become visible," the release said. "Where you stop scrolling symptoms at midnight and start having better informed conversations." Copilot Health will be made available "through a careful, phased rollout," with a waitlist for the tool opening Thursday, according to the release. Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman said health data imported into the feature will be encrypted and firewalled from the rest of the app to address the privacy concerns related to sharing users' medical records with a generative AI platform, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. "It's something that Microsoft is uniquely placed to do with our scale, with our regulatory experience, with the kind of trust and confidence that people have in our security and the history that we have as a mature, stable player," Suleyman said, per the report. The PYMNTS Intelligence report "How AI Becomes the Place Consumers Start Everything" found that consumers are comfortable turning to AI tools for healthcare information. AI "increasingly acts as a first step instead of a supplemental tool," with frequent AI users saying they start tasks "inside AI platforms rather than search engines or apps ... behavior spans learning, planning, financial tasks, and health-related inquiries," PYMNTS reported Jan. 6. This behavioral change was reflected in a report from OpenAI, which found that 55% of Americans use the company's ChatGPT to understand symptoms, 48% to decipher medical terminology, and 44% to find out about treatment options. "These are foundational steps in the healthcare journey, shaping how patients prepare for appointments and decide when to seek professional care," PYMNTS reported.

Microsoft launches Copilot Health with lifestyle, fitness, and healthcare guidance

Microsoft has introduced Copilot Health, a feature within Microsoft Copilot designed to help users organize personal health information and understand medical data. The tool combines health records, wearable device data, and health history into a single interface and uses AI analysis to identify patterns and provide contextual insights. The launch follows findings from Microsoft's 2025 Copilot Usage Report, which shows health as the most discussed topic on mobile devices. To better understand how people use AI for health information, Microsoft analyzed more than 500,000 health and wellbeing conversations with Copilot during January 2026. Copilot Health provides a secure environment where users can consolidate multiple sources of personal health information into one profile. The system integrates data from: By analyzing these datasets together, Copilot Health highlights connections between health indicators, such as relationships between sleep patterns, activity levels, and other trends. This allows users to better understand their health data and prepare questions for medical consultations. Microsoft reports that its consumer platforms, including Copilot and Microsoft Bing, respond to more than 50 million health-related questions daily. Copilot relies on information from credible medical organizations across more than 50 countries, verified by Microsoft's clinical team using principles established by the National Academy of Medicine. Responses include citations linking to source material and expert-written answer cards developed in collaboration with Harvard Health Publishing. Copilot can also help users locate healthcare providers. In the United States, it connects to real-time provider directories, enabling searches by specialty, location, language, and insurance coverage. Microsoft analyzed over 500,000 Copilot conversations during January 2026 using automated analysis of de-identified data. The study identified several usage patterns: Medical information and symptom interpretation Health information queries represent the largest category: These conversations often occur when users seek explanations of test results or unexpected symptoms before deciding on further action. Lifestyle and fitness guidance About 9% of health questions involve lifestyle support, particularly nutrition and exercise. Many users request personalized guidance rather than general advice. Healthcare system navigation Approximately 5.8% of health queries involve navigating healthcare systems, including: Microsoft says these conversations frequently occur when people are preparing for appointments or managing administrative processes. The study also shows differences in when and how people ask health questions. Time-of-day trends: Questions about emotional wellbeing increase later in the day: Symptom-related questions also rise at night, indicating users often turn to AI when clinicians, pharmacies, or other sources are unavailable. Many users seek health information on behalf of family members. Microsoft found that one in seven conversations about symptoms or condition management are asked for someone else, including children, partners, or older adults. These queries often involve explaining medical terminology, comparing treatments, or summarizing health histories for caregivers managing family healthcare decisions. Copilot Health builds on Microsoft's research in medical AI. The company highlighted Microsoft AI Diagnostic Orchestrator (MAI-DxO), which has shown results in research environments. Microsoft says upcoming publications will describe how these systems could support a broader range of clinical cases. The long-term goal is AI systems capable of combining general medical knowledge with specialist-level expertise. Microsoft states that new AI features will only be introduced into Copilot Health after clinical evaluation and clear labeling. Copilot Health includes additional privacy protections compared with standard Copilot interactions. Key safeguards include: Health conversations are kept separate from general Copilot data, and health data is not used for AI training. Copilot Health has received ISO/IEC 42001 certification, an international standard for AI management systems. It is developed with Microsoft's internal clinical team and guidance from an external panel of over 230 physicians across 24+ countries. Copilot Health is developed with input from: These collaborations aim to improve accessibility and usability across diverse user groups. Copilot Health is launching through a phased rollout. Initially, it is available in English in the United States for adults aged 18 and older. Microsoft has opened a waitlist for early users and plans to expand language support, voice features, and geographic availability. Microsoft states that Copilot Health is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent diseases or other conditions and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.