OpenAI’s new Health feature gives ChatGPT access to Apple Health data and medical records, adding useful analysis at the cost of sharing sensitive information with another company.

The feature is available to logged-in users 18 and older across Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans. OpenAI says ChatGPT can compare laboratory results over time, summarize changes since a medical appointment, and identify patterns involving sleep, exercise, and daily activity.

Users can connect Apple Health, medical records from supported U.S. hospital systems, One Medical, and Function Health. ChatGPT can also receive information that fitness, nutrition, and wearable apps make available through Apple Health, although some proprietary scores may not transfer.

OpenAI says more than 300 million people turn to ChatGPT with health-related questions each week. Connecting records could make it easier to understand medical terminology, prepare questions for a doctor, or track changes without repeatedly uploading the same documents.

Health in ChatGPT requires users to sync potentially extensive medical and wellness information with OpenAI. Users who don’t connect the feature avoid adding OpenAI to the services handling that data.

OpenAI promises safeguards, but the data still leaves Apple

OpenAI says connected medical records, Apple Health information, and related conversations won’t train foundation models or target ads. It further claims that all ChatGPT conversations are encrypted in transit and at rest, with added protections for Health data.

ChatGPT asks for permission before using connected health information by default. Users can approve access for one request or allow ChatGPT to use it automatically in future conversations.

Permission controls don’t eliminate the underlying data transfer. ChatGPT can analyze health information only after users make it available to OpenAI.

Percentage of reviews earning high scores by evaluation category. Image credit: OpenAI

OpenAI deletes synced health data within 30 days after disconnection, while information in past chats remains until users delete those conversations. ChatGPT can also create memories from Health conversations, and sharing health details through another service may require confirmation.

Siri AI offers a first-party alternative with fewer data transfers

Apple’s Siri AI in iOS 27 uses a first-party architecture for supported requests involving personal context. Siri AI can search across apps for user data, understand information shown onscreen, and perform actions through Apple’s systemwide app frameworks.

The company processes many requests on the device and uses Private Cloud Compute when a request needs a larger model.

Private Cloud Compute sends only the data needed to process a request to Apple Silicon servers. Apple can’t access or retain that data, and researchers can inspect the software used to process it.

The key difference is how Apple and OpenAI process the data. For supported health tasks, Apple can process requests on-device or through Private Cloud Compute without a persistent connection to OpenAI.

Processing supported health requests on-device or through Private Cloud Compute avoids adding OpenAI as another service handling the data. OpenAI’s safeguards reduce some risks, but avoiding the extra connection minimizes data sharing more effectively.

Apple and OpenAI remain partners while fighting in court

The Health rollout also comes amid a legal conflict between Apple and OpenAI. Apple continues to offer optional ChatGPT integration through Apple Intelligence.

Connecting Apple Health to ChatGPT. Image credit: OpenAI

Apple sued OpenAI and two former Apple employees on July 10 over alleged trade secret theft tied to OpenAI’s consumer hardware work. The lawsuit names Tang Yew Tan and Chang Liu.

According to the complaint, both men improperly accessed, kept, or shared confidential information connected to their departures from Apple and later work for OpenAI.

OpenAI has denied wanting or using competitors’ trade secrets. The allegations haven’t been proven, and the dispute is separate from the privacy and security of Health in ChatGPT.

Health in ChatGPT still requires careful verification

Hundreds of physicians helped OpenAI build realistic health scenarios for testing ChatGPT. The evaluations measure accuracy, safety, communication, context awareness, completeness, and whether ChatGPT recognizes when professional care may be needed.

GPT-5.6 outperformed GPT-5.5 on OpenAI’s HealthBench Professional evaluation, though ChatGPT can still make mistakes. Users should verify important information with a qualified health care provider.

Connected records may also be incomplete or outdated. OpenAI notes that a medication can remain listed after someone stops taking it, making it important to check ChatGPT’s information against the original source.

ChatGPT can make records easier to understand, identify changes worth discussing, and help someone prepare for an appointment. Its output shouldn’t be the sole basis for a diagnosis, medication change, or decision to avoid professional care.

Health in ChatGPT organizes scattered medical data. Apple users must decide whether that convenience is worth sharing their health information with OpenAI.

Mark Zuckerberg really wants you to believe that AI is good, actually. But the centerpiece of his company’s new “optimistic” ad campaign, at least for now, is a one-minute commercial for Meta’s AI efforts that… features very little AI.

According to a Meta spokesperson, the ad is the start of a broader effort from the company to present an alternative view to “AI doomers and those who have sketched out a dystopian vision” for the future. “As we enter this next wave with AI, we continue to believe the future is for everyone,” Zuckerberg wrote in a post accompanying the video. “We’re focused on giving every person the tools to reach your full potential and making sure the benefits of technology are distributed to everyone.”

Notably this is the same company which in recent months has used the supposed productivity benefits of AI as an excuse to lay off many thousands of its own staff. The same company that has been accused of using AI to justify cuts that disproportionately affected workers on medical leave. The same company that is being sued by publishers for allegedly training its AI on copyrighted material. The same company that once had an internal policy document that suggested it was permissible for AI chatbots to have “sensual” conversations with minors. Those guys!

So what are the benefits of AI? It’s hard to say because the commercial makes very few references to any of Meta’s AI features. Instead, it shows a bunch of nondescript footage: a crowd walking, people smiling, a couple dancing. Are these people implied to be happily benefitting from AI? Who can say. It then cuts to someone scrolling Facebook, the Instagram logo and a WhatsApp chat. All of those apps have been flooded with AI features over the last year, but none are visible in the video.

The company’s communications team describes the campaign as “beginning to articulate [Meta’s] optimistic vision for a future with AI,” which seems like something that should have been figured out before investing many billions of dollars into building AI.

There’s a brief moment where the video cuts to the words “Muse Spark,” Meta’s latest AI model, on a laptop screen. And a moment later the Meta AI interface appears. But there’s no indication of what these tools can actually do or why they should be relevant to anyone watching. Just that… they are available to “everyone,” I guess? “Some people will have you believe AI will make us less connected, that it’s gonna leave us behind,” the video states. “We couldn’t disagree more.” Ok!

It wouldn’t be the first time Zuckerberg has been vague about the future of AI. He now talks about AI with the same incomprehensible enthusiasm he once had for the metaverse, the thing he once predicted was “going to be the successor of the mobile internet.” We all know how that ended.

The final 15 seconds of the video prominently feature Meta’s smart glasses, including its new Kylie Jenner-branded frames. There are a few shots of POV footage captured from Oakley Meta glasses but, again, no references to AI.

“The discourse around AI spans everything from existential dread to utopian visions,” Meta’s Chief Marketing Officer Denise Moreno wrote in a post on LinkedIn. “With all the noise, it’s easy to feel like the future is heading toward less connection and less agency. We’re taking a different stance: we think AI will empower people to do more of what they love. As we enter this next wave of AI, we’re continuing that work and doing everything we can to ensure the future is for everyone.”

Meta might believe the future is “for everyone,” but Moreno apparently felt differently about the present. She limited comments on her post.

The company is rolling out its ChatGPT Health feature to users in the US who are 18 years or older.

ChatGPT leveraged faith to convince a man with a cardiac issue to stay home instead of seeking medical help. Now, facing years of recovery and profound financial damage, the man is suing OpenAI over the ordeal.

In a lawsuit filed in San Francisco Superior Court, Florida pastor Scott Winters argues that ChatGPT used his faith against him. After asking the chatbot about his symptoms, he was told that they were likely “another minor piece of the long story” and that “God did not design your body to endlessly fail.”

After going back and forth with ChatGPT’s Health feature for six weeks, Winters finally spoke to a real medical professional. He was then diagnosed with a dangerous blockage of arteries in both of his lungs.

During his talks with ChatGPT, Winters was told to stay “recliner-bound” until he’d had up to 10 more episodes. Doctors believe that this advice probably made matters worse, with Winters’ immobility aiding the blockage of those vital arteries.

Now, The Next Web reports, the pastor faces a long road to recovery. He’s no longer able to do his job as a result of the condition, and he blames OpenAI.

“Not only did I nearly die,” the pastor said in a statement, “but I lost my job, my career, my ministry, my home, everything.”

The accusations fly

In his lawsuit, Winters accuses OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman of the “unauthorized practice of medicine.” He wants damages, and he is seeking the roll-out of ChatGPT Health to be halted entirely.

At least, until independent auditors can give it a clean bill of health.

The legal complaint doesn’t pull any punches, either. In it, Winters’ lawyers argue that ChatGPT’s “sycophantic nature and authoritative tone, combined with its manipulation of Scott’s religious identity, cultivated in him a dangerous reliance on the tool that subverted Scott’s ability to make sound decisions, isolated him from family members who urged him to seek medical care, and convinced him that seeking medical attention was unnecessary and even potentially lethal.”

And as it always does, OpenAI is hiding behind one-line warnings that the models give from time to time. It should know at this point given at least five suits against the 4o model specifically, what it is doing, and what the dangers are, yet it persists.

The company argues that the chatbot regularly reminds users that it isn’t infallible. Users regularly ignore it.

It’s also telling that OpenAI offers ChatGPT Health, a feature that gives users the impression OpenAI’s chatbot is qualified to comment on exactly that: health.

As is so often the case with lawsuits like this, there’s a lot of blame to go around.

OpenAI can’t market ChatGPT as the all-knowing, all-doing technology of the future and be surprised when people listen to, and have faith in, what it has to say.

But similarly, people are still responsible for their actions. Unfortunately, too many buy into the hype and believe ChatGPT and other chatbots are much more capable than they really are.

In the case of Pastor Scott Winters, ChatGPT used his faith to argue its points. And he almost died.

Faith can be used for good, of course, and being a pastor shows real devotion. And Winters surely knows that weaponizing religion is a terrible misuse of faith.

Somehow, after being trained on stolen data across the depth and breadth of the internet, ChatGPT hasn’t quite figured that out and is happy to brandish that weapon to make its point.

Samsung has finally joined the silicon-carbon battery race with its latest batch of premium foldables packing the new battery tech. But details for this change were rather hard to spot on the spec sheets. The company has confirmed during media briefings that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold 8, and Galaxy Z Flip 8 all use silicon-carbon batteries.

Even then, the resulting capacities are hardly record-breaking. The Fold 8 Ultra carries a 5,000mAh battery, the regular Fold 8 gets 4,800mAh, and the Flip 8 has 4,300mAh. Rivals from Honor and Motorola have already crossed the 6,000mAh mark. But the figures only tell part of the story.

What is a silicon-carbon battery?

Silicon-carbon batteries remain a form of lithium-ion battery. The key change happens inside the anode, one of the electrodes responsible for storing and releasing lithium ions during charging and discharging. Conventional lithium-ion batteries predominantly use graphite in the anode. Silicon can hold considerably more lithium than graphite by weight, giving battery makers a route toward higher energy density.

Higher density creates two useful options for phone manufacturers. They can fit more battery capacity into the same physical space, or retain a familiar capacity while making the battery thinner and lighter. Foldables stand to benefit considerably from either approach. Every millimeter recovered from the battery can be used to improve thickness, weight, or even endurance.

However, pure silicon creates its own engineering problems. It expands dramatically as it absorbs lithium during charging, then contracts as the battery discharges. Repeated expansion can crack the material, damage internal connections, and accelerate battery degradation. This is why silicon-carbon designs combine silicon with carbon-based material to better control that expansion.

How it helped the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

The best example of how this tech helped Samsung is with the Z Fold 8 Ultra. Its 5,000mAh battery is 600mAh larger than the 4,400mAh cell in the Galaxy Z Fold 7. That works out to an increase of almost 14%. Samsung made that jump while trimming the unfolded thickness from 4.2mm to 4.1mm. Both generations weigh 215 grams. The company also claims up to 27 hours of video playback, compared with 24 hours on the Fold 7.

An extra 600mAh may sound modest beside the giant cells now appearing in Chinese foldables. The global Honor Magic V6 has a 6,660mAh silicon-carbon battery inside a body measuring 4mm when unfolded. Meanwhile, Motorola’s Razr Fold uses a 6,000mAh silicon-carbon battery while measuring 4.6mm unfolded. It also supports 80W wired and 50W wireless fast charging, giving it a considerable advantage over Samsung on paper.

So when you pit it against the other foldables out there, the Z Fold 8 Ultra looks rather conservative. It would be easy to dismiss Samsung over this, but the official briefings gave us a better insight into the company’s priorities. Samsung emphasized performance, longevity, and safety. The company also said users should expect battery health consistent with previous Galaxy products. Samsung appears to be limiting silicon content or using a more conservative cell design until it has greater confidence in long-term behavior.

Similar to Apple, Galaxy devices are looking to refine the experience and improve user experience with new models rather than introducing big spec numbers. There’s an argument to be made for both sides of this, but considering the past incidents, Samsung’s cautious approach isn’t surprising.

This is only Samsung’s first step

Samsung has arrived late to silicon-carbon batteries. Other brands have already used to technology to push phone batteries beyond capacities that once looked unrealistic. The first Galaxy attempt may not be hitting headline-grabbing figures, but the direction is clear.

Future Galaxy phones could adopt higher silicon percentages and larger capacities. The technology could eventually reach conventional Galaxy S devices too, where it might enable thicker battery reserves or slimmer designs. For now, silicon-carbon has helped Samsung make its newest foldables thinner without leaving battery capacity behind. We are now getting the best-built foldables ever, and after years of 4,400mAh Galaxy Folds, I’ll take the small but deliberate step.

• Adata chief predicts memory shortages could persist throughout the next decade
• Chen says AI demand still exceeds most industry expectations worldwide
• DDR5 prices climbed another 7% during July despite earlier market optimism

Chen Li-bai, chairman of memory chip manufacturer ADATA, has dismissed growing market speculation about an imminent collapse in AI-related investment.

Speaking after TSMC’s stock price plummeted following its recent earnings call, Chen argued that discussions about an AI bubble remain premature at this stage.

“We don’t want people to be surreptitiously taking videos of other people.”

Entegro is extending its expertise in fibre telecommunications and network infrastructure by moving into the renewable energy sector.

Entegro, a Kilkenny-based engineering group, has announced the acquisition of renewable energy specialist Acel Energy, a solar energy company headquartered in Monaghan. 

In acquiring Acel Energy, Entegro aims to further its expertise in the designing, building and operation of critical fibre telecommunications and network infrastructure. The move will involve the formation of a new entity – Entegro Energy – and there are also plans to grow its workforce from 200 employees to roughly 300. 

Entegro said its acquisition also builds on an established partnership with high- and medium-voltage engineering specialist Nahanagan Electrical.

According to Entegro, the new deal will align complementary capabilities under a single roof, furthering expertise in the delivery of renewables generation, battery storage and high-voltage infrastructure solutions domestically and internationally. 

Established in Kilkenny in 2019, Entegro, which is part of the Kyntus Group, has a presence in Ireland, the UK and the US, and delivers services from design and engineering through construction, commissioning and operation, with business units spanning fibre and telecommunications, transformation services and energy.

Commenting on the announcement, John Rooney, the group CEO for Entegro, said, “The board and I welcome the Acel team to the Entegro group. This is another milestone for Entegro as we continue to build a multi-utility business across telecoms, power and infrastructure to meet the demands of Ireland and beyond. 

“Entegro has always sat at the heart of critical infrastructure, so moving into energy is a natural next step rather than a departure. 

“Bringing Acel and Nahanagan together gives us the ability to design, commission and run energy systems end to end, from an Irish base and with a trusted team that keeps growing. That is the future we want to help build and to build well.”

Barry Sherry, the managing director at Acel Energy, added, “Declan McDonald and I built Acel on engineering-led renewable generation and storage, and joining Entegro lets us do that at a scale we could not reach alone.”

Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.