A battleground for military strategists! After OpenAI and Anthropic, Apple also enters the "healthcare" sector

Wallstreetcn
2026.01.12 02:18

Apple plans to completely revamp the "Health" app in iOS 26.4, introducing AI agents, meal tracking, and video services, directly challenging existing market players like MyFitnessPal and Noom. Previously, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Health, creating a "personal super assistant" that integrates medical records. Anthropic has also launched HIPAA-compliant medical AI tools

As tech giants accelerate their penetration into vertical fields, healthcare is becoming the most fiercely contested "battleground" for artificial intelligence applications after search and office software.

According to 9to5Mac citing informed sources, Apple plans to launch a "revamped" Health app in the iOS 26.4 update scheduled for release this spring. This update will introduce AI agents, dietary tracking features, and video services similar to Fitness+, aiming to consolidate its moat in health monitoring through hardware advantages and directly challenge the market positions of existing service providers like MyFitnessPal and Noom.

Just days before Apple's new move was revealed, the two leading players in the AI field had completed their respective layouts in the healthcare sector. OpenAI data shows that over 230 million people consult health issues on its platform weekly, prompting the company to launch ChatGPT Health, aimed at transforming the chatbot into a "personal super assistant" that integrates users' medical records. Meanwhile, Anthropic announced the launch of HIPAA-compliant medical AI tools, which have already been adopted by large healthcare systems, including Banner Health.

Apple's Comprehensive Counterattack: AI Agents and Dietary Tracking

Apple CEO Tim Cook has repeatedly stated that Apple's greatest contribution to society will be in the health sector. The upcoming iOS 26.4 will be a key step in realizing this vision.

Reports indicate that the "Health" app revamp set to launch in iOS 26.4 is not just a simple interface update but a comprehensive expansion of functionality.

Dietary tracking will be the highlight of this revamp. Apple has previously avoided venturing into this area but is now "moving full speed ahead." This feature will allow users to track calories and assist in weight loss, directly competing with weight management apps like MyFitnessPal and Noom.

Additionally, Apple is developing an "AI health agent." This feature will utilize all health data from users' paired devices to provide personalized health and nutrition advice. Informed sources reveal that in the future, this feature may even use the iPhone's rear camera to analyze users' exercise postures in real-time and provide improvement suggestions.

In terms of content services, Apple is attempting to replicate the success model of Apple Fitness+ by launching a similar health video service. According to Bloomberg, Apple plans to establish a dedicated facility in Oakland, California, inviting sleep experts, nutritionists, cardiologists, and others to record instructional videos. The core logic of this service lies in a data-driven feedback loop: when the health app detects a negative trend in a user's metric (such as sleep or heart rate), the system will automatically push relevant expert advice videos.

OpenAI's Entry: Building a "Personal Super Assistant"

Unlike Apple's focus on hardware ecosystems, OpenAI has chosen to enter the market through large model capabilities. OpenAI's application business CEO Fidji Simo stated that ChatGPT Health is an important step in transforming ChatGPT into a "personal super assistant." To address privacy concerns, ChatGPT Health has established an independent space within the chatbot. OpenAI has committed that conversations, documents, and application data within this space will be isolated from other chat records and will not be used to train its foundational models.

In terms of data integration, OpenAI has partnered with infrastructure provider b.well. Users can connect data from Apple Health, MyFitnessPal, Weight Watchers, and the lab testing startup Function to ChatGPT. This open strategy allows OpenAI to leverage the existing health data ecosystem rather than building from scratch.

Anthropic's Breakthrough in B-end: Compliance and Clinical Efficiency

Just days after OpenAI released new tools, its main competitor Anthropic showcased a distinctly different approach—deepening its focus on the B-end clinical market.

Anthropic announced that its chatbot Claude has launched new medical services compliant with HIPAA standards. This compliance certification serves as a "ticket" to enter the U.S. professional healthcare market, allowing hospitals and medical institutions to legally use the tool to handle protected health data.

Mike Krieger, Chief Product Officer of Anthropic, stated, "When we think about the overall economy and where AI can have the greatest impact, the healthcare industry is indeed very suitable once the right things are done in terms of regulation and data."

Market reactions indicate the effectiveness of the B-end strategy. Anthropic revealed that one of the largest nonprofit healthcare systems in the U.S., Banner Health, has over 22,000 clinical providers using Claude. Data shows that 85% of users report faster work speed and higher accuracy after use. Additionally, Anthropic has established partnerships with Novo Nordisk and Stanford Healthcare

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