OpenAI vs Anthropic and Google: AI is the new trend for healthcare, here’s everything you need to know
Just days after OpenAI introduced ChatGPIT Health, Anthropic has launched Cloud for Healthcare, a new AI tool built specifically for medical use. The platform is designed to help both individuals and health care professionals understand, organize, and manage medical information.
Just days after OpenAI launched ChatGPIT Health, Anthropic has also entered the AI healthcare race with the launch of Cloud for Healthcare. According to the Amazon-backed company, Cloud for Healthcare is designed to help individuals and healthcare professionals better understand and manage medical information, though please note, it is not a replacement for human doctors, at least not yet.
Unlike general-purpose chatbots, the cloud’s healthcare-focused AI suite is built specifically for medical use cases and can be used by people to understand complex test results to manage administrative and clinical workflows. In short, Anthropic is pitching the cloud for healthcare as a tool that can reduce time spent on paperwork, while claiming to keep patient data, which is confidential information, private and secure.
How does cloud healthcare work?
According to Anthropic, at its core, Cloud for Healthcare integrates with industry-standard medical systems and databases. The company says it can connect to resources such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) coverage database, ICD-10 medical codes, and the National Provider Identifier Registry. According to Anthropic, this integration will allow users to instantly access reliable information about health care, coverage, billing and provider details. The company says that for physicians and administrators, this tool will help them save time in collecting data and focus more on patient care.
Availability and accessibility of cloud healthcare
One of the key features Anthropic is highlighting about its new cloud healthcare is its ability to connect directly to personal health records and fitness platforms. Right now, the feature is only available in the US, and customers on the cloud’s Pro and Max plans will be able to connect their lab results and medical history to the AI.
Anthropic is also launching integration with Apple Health and Android Health Connect, which will let the cloud summarize medical histories, explain reports in simple language, spot patterns in health metrics, and even help users formulate questions for their next doctor’s visit. The company notes that these connections will be opt-in, and users will be allowed to revoke access at any time.
What about privacy?
With healthcare being a sensitive area, Anthropic says Cloud for Healthcare runs on HIPAA-ready infrastructure and is designed to meet the strict standards for handling medical data in the United States. It also assures users that health information shared with the cloud is not used to train its AI models, and people will have control over what data the system can access. However how it handles users’ data will only be known when there is more wide-scale use and even then only time will tell, whether the privacy safeguards are as airtight as Anthropic claims.
How is Cloud Chat for Healthcare different from GPT Health?
While both Anthropic and OpenAI have launched their own health specific tools, the main difference between ChatGPAT Health and Cloud Healthcare is who they are built for. ChatGPT Health is primarily targeted at everyday users, providing a place for users to organize their health questions, understand trends, and get general wellness guidance.
Cloud for Healthcare, on the other hand, is aimed at both individuals as well as professionals and healthcare systems. It offers deep integration with medical databases, billing systems, and clinical workflows aimed at helping healthcare providers, insurers, and healthcare startups looking to automate operations. Although it also supports individual users, it seems to be primarily targeted at the heavy operational side of medicine.
While AI companies are now aggressively moving into health care with specialized tools, it is worth noting that, no matter how helpful they are, these systems should not be relied upon alone for medical advice. For example, a recent investigation by the Guardian found that Google’s AI Overviews, which are its generative summaries shown at the top of search results, generate misleading and potentially dangerous health information in response to some medical queries, raising concerns about safety and trust. While Google has now retracted some of its AI observations, the incident has highlighted how harmful it can be to rely solely on AI, and that it is not a replacement for professional medical advice.