Apple is preparing a major overhaul of its Health app, marking one of the most significant updates to date. As part of this update, the company is introducing an AI doctor to the app, under the project name “Project Mulberry,” which is expected to launch with iOS 19.4 next spring.
Apple has long had ambitious plans for healthcare, with Tim Cook previously stating that the company’s most significant social contributions will come in this area. Now, the tech giant is taking a major step toward realizing that vision by adding an AI coach that could replicate the role of a doctor within the Health app. Mark Gurman of Bloomberg shared the news of this upcoming overhaul.
A Redesigned Health App with an AI Doctor
Despite its mixed history with AI, Apple is fully committed to developing the AI doctor feature for its Health app. The company has even pulled in resources from other departments, including its artificial intelligence team, to ensure its success.
According to Gurman, the updated Health app will continue gathering data from various sources like the Apple Watch and third-party apps to feed the AI doctor. Based on this data, the AI will offer personalized health recommendations. Additionally, the new Health app will introduce food tracking options, a feature Apple has previously steered clear of.
One of the new features of the Health app will reportedly include access to your device’s cameras. This would enable the AI doctor to analyze your workouts and provide personalized tips for improvement, further enhancing the app’s ability to offer tailored health guidance.
Apple is currently training the AI doctor with the assistance of its in-house physicians. The company is also reportedly reaching out to external experts in fields such as sleep, nutrition, physical therapy, mental health, and cardiology. These experts will help create educational videos that explain various health conditions. These videos will be tailored to your specific health data, appearing in the Health app based on the information it gathers, according to Gurman.
For instance, if the Health app receives data about poor heart-rate trends, a video explaining the risks of heart disease could appear.
Apple is also reportedly opening a new facility near Oakland, California, where the team will shoot content for the Health app. Gurman mentions that many within the company are referring to the service as “Health+,” which hints that access to the AI doctor could potentially be offered as part of a subscription service.
Apple’s AI Doctor: Is It Viable?
While the idea of adding an AI Doctor to the Health app is intriguing, I can’t help but feel cautious. Sharing sensitive health data with AI always raises privacy concerns, but Apple’s strong stance on privacy reassures us that these issues are less likely to be a problem here.
However, implementing something as critical as an AI Doctor requires tremendous responsibility. Health is a deeply personal matter, and AI’s limitations whether in accuracy or bias—could result in incorrect recommendations that might delay real medical intervention. We also need to consider how adaptable the AI Doctor will be to various medical conditions. While AI excels at pattern recognition, it still struggles with the nuanced and complex nature of human health, which often requires critical thinking and judgment that AI isn’t quite there with yet.
Apple’s recent issues with Apple Intelligence certainly don’t inspire much confidence in their other AI ventures. While I have no doubt that Apple will only release something as sensitive as an AI Doctor when it’s fully ready, their track record with half-baked Apple Intelligence updates makes me hesitant. I can’t imagine they’d take that kind of risk here, but it does raise questions.
My concern is whether Apple truly has the technology to execute this properly, or at least if they’ll have it ready by next year for iOS 19.4. Could we see another case of delays and overpromises, like we’ve seen before? It’s definitely something to keep an eye on only time will tell if they can pull it off.
