Microsoft is rolling out an AI health assistant designed to help people manage their health using their own medical data.
The feature, called Copilot Health, works inside the company’s Copilot app and can provide personalised health advice using a user’s medical data, if they choose 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 such as Apple Watch or Fitbit.
Microsoft said the feature will launch first in the US through a phased rollout. The company said health is already the most common topic people ask about on the Copilot mobile app.
Mustafa Suleyman, chief executive of Microsoft’s AI division, said: “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.”
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 organisations in the US, according to Microsoft.
To access 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.
