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American patients are increasingly turning to AI for medical advice — so are their doctors

As OpenAI announces the launch of ChatGPT Health, it seems everyday Americans and professional physicians alike are already using the tech to help with healthcare.

Millie Giles

1/9/26 5:57AM

With the world weighing up the pitfalls of giving AI access to sensitive personal data, OpenAI just unveiled a service where people can upload medical records directly to its chatbot.

On Wednesday, the company announced the launch of ChatGPT Health, described as a “dedicated experience” for health information that will live as a tab within ChatGPT. According to a report from OpenAI, more than 40 million people globally already ask ChatGPT health-related questions every single day, equating to about 5% of all messages on the platform.

Chat, what are my treatment options?

The service, designed to help people “feel more informed, prepared, and confident navigating [their] health,” allows users in the US to connect medical records and data from apps and wearable devices to ChatGPT.

OpenAI underscored that Health is built with additional, layered protections for user information, including “purpose-built encryption.” It also emphasized that the service is “not intended for diagnosis or treatment,” and should instead be used to “support” existing medical care.

But it seems that AI is already being used to support medical professionals, even more directly. A study conducted by the American Medical Association in November 2024, published last February, found that two-thirds of American physicians reported using health AI at least once in 2024, up from 38% in 2023.

Just what the doctor prompted

While many medical professionals said they were already using the tech for documentation purposes and translation services, a significant proportion also reported using AI for help with treatment, including surgery guidance (30%), prediction of health risks (25%), health recommendations (21%), and triage support (20%).

Interestingly, the AMA found 30% of US physicians said they used AI to assist with diagnoses — the same thing that many turn to ChatGPT for, with OpenAI’s report finding that 55% of US adults used AI tools to “check or explore symptoms” in the three months prior to the survey.

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Jon Keegan2h

xAI’s trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI dismissed

In September, xAI sued rival OpenAI, accusing the company of stealing trade secrets by hiring away key employees.

After a key employee was poached by OpenAI, xAI filed its lawsuit in Northern California federal court, alleging that the company was after its “secret sauce” — the methods by which xAI was able to build data centers so quickly.

Today Judge Rita Lin dismissed the case, citing a lack of any direct accusations against OpenAI itself. In the order dismissing the case, Lin wrote:

“The sole defendant in this lawsuit is OpenAI, whom xAI accuses of misappropriating its trade secrets. But xAI does not point to any misconduct by OpenAI. Instead, it points to eight former xAI employees who left for OpenAI at around the same time.”

The judge said that xAI is allowed to file an amended complaint if it wants to pursue the case, but must do so by March 17.

US judge dismisses xAI trade-secrets lawsuit against rival OpenAI for now

Today Judge Rita Lin dismissed the case, citing a lack of any direct accusations against OpenAI itself. In the order dismissing the case, Lin wrote:

“The sole defendant in this lawsuit is OpenAI, whom xAI accuses of misappropriating its trade secrets. But xAI does not point to any misconduct by OpenAI. Instead, it points to eight former xAI employees who left for OpenAI at around the same time.”

The judge said that xAI is allowed to file an amended complaint if it wants to pursue the case, but must do so by March 17.

Jon Keegan5h

Chinese drone maker DJI sues to overturn FCC foreign drone ban

Chinese drone maker DJI has filed a lawsuit against the FCC challenging the December 2025 decision that effectively bans all foreign drones and components from the US market. DJI and all other foreign drone makers were added to the FCC’s “covered list” of equipment and services that the agency says “pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States.”

In a lawsuit filed with the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, DJI argues that the company is “severely harmed” by the ruling, and seeks review of the decision: “The FCC exceeded its statutory authority, failed to observe statutorily required procedures, and violated the Fifth Amendment when it purported to add DJI’s products to the Covered List.”

In a statement to Sherwood News, a DJI spokesperson said:

“The FCC can add products to the Covered List only when they present a national security threat, yet it has never identified any threat associated with DJI or its products. Despite repeated efforts to engage with the government, DJI has never been given the chance to provide information to address or refute any concerns. These procedural and substantive deficiencies violate the Constitution and federal law.”

The FCC decision has cleared the way for the nascent US drone industry just as the US military urgently races to catch up in the race to acquire drones.

Jon Keegan7h

Anthropic follows OpenAI in rolling out agentic tools for enterprise

Just a day after OpenAI rolled out its agentic platform for enterprise, Anthropic has announced its own. Built from existing pieces of Anthropic tech that have already been previewed, the new platform essentially ties together plug-ins that can be tailored by enterprise customers into Claude Cowork.

Companies can customize their version of the tool to use their branding, communication style, and private data to speed up a long list of common tasks like performing financial analyses, human resources tasks, design, and engineering workflows. New connectors tie Claude Cowork into third-party platforms like Salesforce’s Slack, Google’s apps, LegalZoom, and DocuSign, among others.

The announcement gave a lift to some beaten-down software companies.

While OpenAI was releasing consumer apps like Sora, Anthropic was busy improving Claude’s ability to make spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations — the boring but essential tools of the workplace.

The two competing solutions will be battling it out in the enterprise marketplace as both Anthropic and OpenAI seek to grow revenue streams to power their ambitious AI infrastructure projects.

Cowork and plugins for teams across the enterprise | Claude

The announcement gave a lift to some beaten-down software companies.

The two competing solutions will be battling it out in the enterprise marketplace as both Anthropic and OpenAI seek to grow revenue streams to power their ambitious AI infrastructure projects.

Rani Molla8h

Alphabet’s Waymo is now available in 10 cities

Today, Alphabet subsidiary Waymo announced it’s now welcoming public riders to its driverless car service in four additional US cities: Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Orlando.

The company said the service will be available first to “select riders” who’ve downloaded the app in those cities, and it will invite new riders on a rolling basis before opening the service to everyone “later this year.”

The latest announcement brings Waymo’s total service area to 10 cities, mostly located in California and across the Sun Belt, and doubles its footprint from a few months ago.

Ready to Ride: Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando

The latest announcement brings Waymo’s total service area to 10 cities, mostly located in California and across the Sun Belt, and doubles its footprint from a few months ago.

Rani Molla9h

TSMC trades near record high as Apple plans to purchase “well over 100 million” chips from its Arizona facility this year

Last year Apple said it would invest $600 billion to expand in the US over four years, in an effort to reduce its reliance on overseas suppliers and avoid tariffs.

We’re now getting more detail on what that involves. According to a new announcement from Apple, it includes expanding AI server production and moving future production of suddenly trendy Mac Minis to Houston.

It also involves the purchase of “well over 100 million” chips from TSMC’s Arizona facility this year, “a significant increase from 2025.”

“We’re buying as much of the output of this fab as we can,” Apple’s global head of procurement, David Tom, told The Wall Street Journal.

Apple has long been one of TSMC’s largest customers, even as the iPhone maker shifted to designing its own processors in-house — chips that TSMC overwhelmingly manufactures. Apple’s demand is helping fund TSMC’s massive multibillion-dollar chip plant expansion in Arizona.

Shares of TSMC were up 3% and near record highs in early trading Tuesday, as the Apple announcement underlines huge demand for TSMC’s AI chips

Apple accelerates U.S. manufacturing with Mac mini production

It also involves the purchase of “well over 100 million” chips from TSMC’s Arizona facility this year, “a significant increase from 2025.”

“We’re buying as much of the output of this fab as we can,” Apple’s global head of procurement, David Tom, told The Wall Street Journal.

Shares of TSMC were up 3% and near record highs in early trading Tuesday, as the Apple announcement underlines huge demand for TSMC’s AI chips

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