Microsoft Copilot Health launches to store medical records and answer personalized health questions

I tested Microsoft Copilot Health with my real medical records - here's my verdict

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. Do you ever turn to an AI for medical or health advice? We can debate the wisdom of doing so. But one pitfall is that the AI knows little or nothing about you medically. That means it can provide only generic information at best and bad information at worst. To address that drawback, Microsoft is previewing a new service called Copilot Health. To try this, you would first share a few details about yourself and then add any medical records of your choosing. Copilot assimilates and uses all that information to field your questions. The more the AI knows about you medically, the better it can tailor its responses to you and your specific conditions, history, medications, and more. Also: I paid Microsoft's premium Copilot agents to do my work - they were confidently bad at it You can not only share your medical background with Copilot Health but also connect certain wearable devices and wellness apps. For example, if you've already been using Apple's Health app to track your medical status and history, you're able to connect that app to Copilot. Based on your health profile, Copilot will respond to your own requests but then ask follow-up questions to guide you on specific medical matters. Further, Copilot Health can help you find the right medical providers based on specialty, language, gender, insurance, and location. To give credibility to the guidance you receive, Microsoft said that the information provided by Copilot comes from thousands of trusted health organizations around the world using principles independently published by the National Academy of Medicine and through the company's partnership with Harvard Health. Sharing sensitive medical records with any company and any AI should naturally raise red flags. Yes, you can limit what records you add. But how private and protected is the information you do share? And how effective is Copilot Health if you decide not to reveal important details about your health or medical history? Naturally aware of privacy concerns, Microsoft said that your conversations with Copilot Health are not shared with the rest of Copilot and are not used to train AI. The data itself is encrypted both at rest and in transit. You can also manage, remove, or disconnect your health data sources at any time. Also: 5 reasons you should be more tight-lipped with your chatbot Further, Copilot Health was built using an internal clinical team at Microsoft and reviewed by an external panel of more than 250 physicians from 24 different countries. Those physicians also provide clinical guidance and feedback on safety issues. Plus, Microsoft said that Copilot Health achieved ISO/IEC 42001 certification, which means that an independent third party verified how the service was developed and improved over time. Aside from privacy issues, I'm not a big fan of using AI as my personal physician. Given AI's tendency to make mistakes or hallucinate, I would never accept medical advice from a chatbot, at least not without double-checking. I'd rather call my doctor's office or pharmacy if I have a question or need help with a medical issue. To address fears over bad medical advice, Microsoft said that it's set up strong guardrails to protect against health misinformation guided by its responsible AI, clinical, safety, engineering, and health product teams. Sure, fine. But I'd continue to be wary of any suggestions or recommendations I receive from an AI. In its blog post, Microsoft even stated the following: "Copilot Health is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent diseases or other conditions and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Copilot Health is currently available in preview. Features, experiences, and usage limits may change during the preview period and may vary based on system conditions as improvements are made." Also: Copilot quietly grabs your data from other Microsoft products now - here's how to opt out Still, people are increasingly turning to AI for health-related information. With that in mind, I took Copilot Health for a spin to see if and how it might help me with certain medical matters. How to try To try Copilot Health, you need to be at least 18 years old, be based in the US, and subscribe to a Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, or Premium plan. To dive in, head to the Copilot Health website and sign in with your Microsoft account. Alternatively, you can use the Copilot mobile app for iOS or Android to register with Copilot Health. Just make sure you've updated the app to the latest version. Also: Asking AI for medical advice? There's a right and wrong way, one doctor explains You're first asked to provide basic details, including your age and gender at birth. You can then choose to add any health information from past Copilot chats or start from scratch. I opted to start from scratch. Next, you're prompted to connect your health records or connect the Apple Health app. If you choose to connect your health records, the process is run through Clear, a third-party service that verifies your identity through biometrics. In this case, you snap a selfie that's verified through Clear, which then finds your medical records across your providers. You can decide which providers and, therefore, which records to share with Copilot Health. To connect to Apple Health, you'll need the Copilot iOS app. Again, make sure you're running the latest version. Swipe to the right and select Health from the menu. Tap the option to connect to Apple Health. The app is then automatically connected. To start using Copilot Health, head to the regular Copilot website or fire up one of the mobile or desktop apps and select Health. Also: Do you ask AI deep questions at night? 37.5 million Copilot conversations show you're not alone To help you get started, Copilot Health invites you to share further details about yourself, including your medical conditions, your lifestyle, and your goals. You can also chat about any symptoms you currently have, get help preparing for a medical appointment, or ask for ways to improve your sleep. Now, here are some of the questions I submitted to Copilot Health and how it responded. The results How did Copilot Health perform overall? I'd say the results were mixed, mostly due to technical glitches. For some reason, Copilot was unable to connect to or retrieve several of my health records. It was also unable to find my entire medication list, even though it's available in the Apple Health app. As such, the service was more difficult to use than I had hoped. Otherwise, Copilot did provide some helpful information and advice, so I certainly found it worth trying. That still leaves us with two big question marks: accuracy and privacy. Aside from the technical problems, Copilot seemed capable of providing accurate responses. But more difficult questions could pose a greater challenge. As for privacy, despite Microsoft's claims that the data remains private, I'd still be concerned about my health information winding up in the wrong hands. Ultimately, I removed all the information and disconnected all my providers from Copilot Health. Even if I were to consult an AI on medical questions, I'd rather feed it the necessary data when needed. And even then, I'd continue to check with my doctor or pharmacy before acting on any advice.

Microsoft wants you to share your health symptoms with its new Copilot tool

* Copilot Health lets you upload medical and wearable data for AI-assisted interpretation. * Built with clinicians and 250+ physicians worldwide for safer, evidence-informed guidance. * It nudges you toward care, but always see and follow a human doctor's diagnosis and treatment. Whenever something doesn't feel right with your body, it's always tempting to reach for Google to see what might be wrong. It's quick, it's free, and it can sometimes make you feel at peace (and sometimes make you panic even more). LLMs have only accelerated this behaviour, with people flocking to AIs to share malaises, upload photos of injuries, and ask about conditions. As such, some companies are working on giving their AI assistants a special health-related mode specifically oriented around giving people the best medical advice possible. Such is the case of Copilot Health, which doesn't aim to replace doctors, but will help nudge people toward doing the right thing. Copilot Health can help you make sense of your health data The heavy lifting is best left to doctors, though Microsoft announced the release of Copilot Health on its blog. The idea behind Copilot Health allows users to upload their medical data and readings from wearables to the AI. The assistant can then use this data to help the user make sense of what the readings mean, and can use the information to better help people when they inquire about a specific symptom they're reporting. Of course, giving an LLM the power to give health advice should never be taken lightly. As such, Microsoft ensured that Copilot Health is drawing from the best training data possible: Built with clinicians. Developed with our internal clinical team and informed by an external panel of over 250 physicians from more than 24 countries, who contribute clinical guidance, safety feedback, and real-world perspective. It seems the idea behind Copilot Health is that it will take in your biometrics data and your described symptoms and use them to point you in the right direction. It's then up to you to take Copilot Health's findings to a doctor, who can validate the AI's diagnosis and draft up a proper treatment plan. Regardless, no matter how much a company touts its LLM as a health expert, always remember to respect and follow a human doctor's advice over an AI. Google's native app for Windows beats Microsoft at its own game Google shows Microsoft how it's done. Posts 14 By Parth Shah

Microsoft wants Copilot to answer all your health-related questions and store your medical records

Copilot Health is Microsoft's most personal AI feature yet. It is built with 250 physicians, and explicitly designed not to replace your doctor. Copilot Health is now in preview, and Microsoft's ambition for it is clear, an AI assistant that knows your health history, understands your fitness data, and can help you make sense of your medical records, all in one place. Copilot Health is a dedicated space within the Copilot chatbot at copilot.microsoft.com/health where you can get answers to your health-related questions. What does Copilot Health actually do? It consists of a health profile where you add your background and goals so Copilot can give you responses that are actually relevant and personalized, rather than generic. Recommended Videos You can also connect Apple Health, with more wearable integrations coming soon, and link your health records from over 50,000 US provider organizations. This gives Copilot a genuinely complete picture of your health rather than a partial one. The feature delivers personalized insights based on your overall health profile, data and conversations. If you have a blood test report, Copilot Health can help you understand it better, and help you find the right healthcare provider based on speciality, preferred language, location, and insurance coverage. To add more credibility to the product, Microsoft has developed it with an external panel of over 250 physicians, and that too, from more than 24 countries around the world. It has also achieved ISO/IEC 42001 certification. Should you trust it with your health data? Copilot Health conversations are not shared with the rest of Copilot. Microsoft also says they are not used to train AI. Data is encrypted at rest and in transit and you can delete everything at any time, giving you control over when and what you want to share. Furthermore, the AI assistant sources health information using principles published by the National Academy of Medicine and through a partnership with Harvard Health. However, like with every other health-focussed version of an AI tool (like ChatGPT Health), Copilot Health is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease. The company has been very clear in saying that it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Given that Microsoft's consumer products already handle over 50 million health questions every day, Copilot Health is less of something new and more of a formalization of something already happening. For now, Copilot Health is available in preview to US users aged 18 and over with a Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, or Premium subscription.