OpenAI, Anthropic and Google Spark a New AI Race in Healthcare

The race to bring artificial intelligence into healthcare is heating up, with major players like OpenAI, Anthropic and Google all unveiling new tools aimed at transforming how medical information is handled. Just days after OpenAI rolled out ChatGPT Health, Amazon-backed Anthropic has launched Claude for Healthcare, a specialised AI system built for medical use.

Anthropic says Claude for Healthcare is designed to help both individuals and healthcare professionals better understand, organise and manage medical data. While the company is clear that the platform is not meant to replace doctors, it believes the tool can significantly reduce the burden of paperwork and information overload that often slows down modern healthcare.

Unlike general-purpose chatbots, Claude for Healthcare has been created with medicine in mind from the start. It can be used to interpret complex test results, streamline administrative work, and support clinical workflows. The idea, according to Anthropic, is to give doctors and healthcare workers more time to focus on patients by automating routine tasks that usually take up hours.

A key part of Claude for Healthcare is its integration with established medical databases and systems. Anthropic says the platform connects with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Coverage Database, ICD-10 medical codes, and the National Provider Identifier Registry. These links allow users to quickly look up reliable information on coverage, billing, and healthcare providers, helping reduce errors and confusion.

For everyday users, Claude for Healthcare also promises a more personalised experience. In the United States, subscribers to Claude’s Pro and Max plans can connect their lab results and medical histories directly to the AI. Anthropic is also introducing integrations with Apple Health and Android Health Connect, making it possible for Claude to summarise health records, explain reports in plain language, detect trends in fitness and health data, and even help patients prepare questions for their next doctor’s visit. All of these connections are opt-in, and users can revoke access whenever they choose.

Because healthcare data is highly sensitive, privacy is a major concern. Anthropic says Claude for Healthcare runs on a HIPAA-ready infrastructure and follows strict standards for handling medical information in the United States. The company also states that health data shared with Claude is not used to train its AI models, and that users remain in control of what the system can access. How well these safeguards hold up will become clearer as more people begin using the platform.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT Health, launched just days earlier, takes a somewhat different approach. It is aimed mainly at everyday users who want to track symptoms, organise health questions and get general wellness guidance. Claude for Healthcare, by contrast, is built not only for individuals but also for hospitals, insurers and healthcare startups. Its deeper links to billing systems, clinical workflows and official medical databases make it especially attractive for the operational side of medicine.

Google, meanwhile, has also been experimenting with AI-powered health features, but not without controversy. A recent investigation by the Guardian found that Google’s AI Overviews had produced misleading and potentially dangerous health information in some cases. The company has since scaled back parts of that feature, highlighting the risks of relying too heavily on automated systems for medical advice.

As AI companies push further into healthcare, the promise is clear: faster workflows, better access to information and more personalised support. But the warnings are just as loud. These tools, however advanced, are not a substitute for trained medical professionals. In a field where mistakes can cost lives, human judgment remains essential, no matter how smart the technology becomes.