AI Giants Expand Healthcare Offerings as Anthropic and Google Unveil New Medical Tools

Key Takeaways: 

• Anthropic and Google have launched new healthcare-focused AI tools, following OpenAI’s recent release of ChatGPT Health in the United States.
  
• The tools are designed to support people and healthcare professionals in understanding medical information, not to replace clinical decision making.
  
• Regulatory scrutiny remains high, particularly in the UK, amid concerns about safety, accuracy, and governance.
  
  
  

Growing momentum in healthcare AI

Major artificial intelligence developers are accelerating their push into healthcare, with Anthropic and Google announcing new medical AI tools shortly after OpenAI launched ChatGPT Health in the United States.

The announcements signal increasing interest from large technology companies in applying generative and multimodal AI to health data, patient engagement, and clinical workflows, while also highlighting ongoing debates around regulation, safety, and the appropriate role of AI in care delivery.

Anthropic introduces Claude for Healthcare

Anthropic has launched Claude for Healthcare, a suite of tools and resources aimed at healthcare providers, payers, and members of the public. The offering enables the use of Anthropic’s Claude AI for medical-related purposes.

In a blog post published on 11 January, Anthropic said the new integrations are “designed to make it easier for individuals to understand their health information and prepare for important medical conversations with clinicians”.

When connected to a person’s laboratory results and health records, Claude can summarise medical history, explain test results in plain language, identify patterns across fitness and health metrics, and help people prepare questions ahead of clinical appointments. The focus, according to Anthropic, is on improving understanding and readiness rather than delivering diagnoses.

Google expands medical imaging capabilities

Google has also announced the release of MedGemma 1.5, an expanded version of its open medical AI model. The updated system is capable of interpreting three-dimensional CT and MRI scans, alongside whole-slide histopathology images.

The move reflects Google’s growing emphasis on multimodal medical AI, particularly in imaging-heavy specialties, where pattern recognition and visual analysis are central to clinical decision making.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT Health and regulatory considerations

Both announcements follow the recent launch of ChatGPT Health by OpenAI earlier this month. The product can analyse people’s medical records and data from health apps to provide personalised health-related insights.

OpenAI has emphasised that the tool is not intended to replace clinical care. On its website, the company states:

“Health is designed to support, not replace, medical care. It is not intended for diagnosis or treatment.

Instead, it helps you navigate everyday questions and understand patterns over time – not just moments of illness – so you can feel more informed and prepared for important medical conversations.”

ChatGPT Health is currently only available in the United States. A spokesperson for OpenAI told Digital Health News that the company is working through local regulatory requirements that require additional compliance measures before a UK launch. They added that OpenAI often engages in advance consultations with regulators in the UK and the EU prior to introducing new products or services in those regions.

Acquisitions and safety concerns

Further underscoring OpenAI’s healthcare ambitions, the co-founder of health data startup Torch announced last week that the company had been acquired by OpenAI for more than $100 million (£75m). Torch focuses on connecting health data from a wide range of sources to provide answers to common health-related questions.

At the same time, concerns about the risks of AI-generated health information remain prominent. Google recently removed some of its AI health summaries after an investigation by The Guardian found that people were being put at risk of harm due to misleading information. In some cases, summaries reportedly omitted critical safety details, including side effects and allergy warnings.

Calls for regulation and human-led care

Commenting on the rapid expansion of generative AI in healthcare, Euan McComiskie, health informatics lead at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists, warned that governance frameworks have yet to catch up with technological development.

“These platforms are also not yet governed by any regulatory, strategic nor policy authority as is the case with our existing healthcare provider organisations,” he said.

“Until those issues are resolved, it is unlikely that generative AI platforms will entirely replace the human-led healthcare interactions.

“An AI-supported, human-led healthcare organisation can use multiple tools and platforms to operate efficiently, deliver high-quality healthcare whilst also enhancing the trusting and caring relationships that registered healthcare professionals have with the people we work with.”

UK regulator urges caution

Regulatory bodies in the UK have also urged caution. In November, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency advised that AI chatbots should not replace advice from healthcare professionals. The guidance followed research indicating that one in four people in the UK are turning to AI tools and social media for health guidance.

As major technology companies continue to invest in healthcare AI, the balance between innovation, safety, and regulation is likely to remain a central issue for policymakers, clinicians, and the people these technologies aim to support.