OpenAI Startup Fund and Thrive Global have announced the formation of Thrive AI Health, a new company with a mission to "use AI to democratize access to expert-level health coaching to improve health outcomes and address growing health inequities."
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Thrive Global founder Arianna Huffington, penned an op-ed in Time magazine where they presented their vision for an AI-driven approach to tackle the growing epidemic of chronic diseases which is skyrocketing globally.
The pair want to change how we approach treating chronic diseases by focusing on behavior modifications. Chronic diseases, like diabetes and heart conditions, impact millions and are heavily influenced by daily habits. The goal is to transform these habits with hyper-personalized AI coaching.
The core product of Thrive AI Health will be an AI health coach, available through a mobile app and integrated into Thrive Global's enterprise offerings. This virtual coach will focus on five key areas of health: sleep, nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and social connection. These behaviors significantly affect health outcomes, often more than medical care or genetics.
DeCarlos Love, a former product lead in health and wearables at Google, will head the company as CEO. Love brings a wealth of experience from his previous roles at Google, Apple, and Athos. His passion for health and coaching, combined with his expertise in sensors, AI, and ML algorithms, positions him as the ideal leader to drive this innovative venture.
The AI health coach will provide real-time, expert-level coaching tailored to individual users. It will offer personalized insights and recommendations based on the latest science, biometric data, lab results, and personal health goals. By understanding each user’s unique needs, the AI coach can deliver proactive suggestions and customized plans to encourage healthier habits.
However, their AI-driven approach goes beyond generic health tips by offering specific, actionable advice. For example, a user managing diabetes might get reminders to take their medication, suggestions for quick and healthy meals, and prompts to engage in physical activities suited to their daily routine.
The company has also assembled an impressive group of strategic partners and advisors, including the Alice L. Walton Foundation, the Heartland Whole Health Institute, and the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute. With their support, Thrive AI Health will address health equity and bring its AI coach to underserved communities. Dr. Gbenga Ogedegbe, Director of NYU Langone’s Institute for Excellence in Health Equity, will serve as Health Equity Advisor, ensuring the AI coach effectively reaches underserved communities.
The need for such an innovation is evident, with chronic diseases reaching alarming levels worldwide. In the US alone, around 90% of the $4.1 trillion in healthcare spending is attributed to treating chronic and mental health conditions. The company believes that by providing expert-level, personalized coaching, users can make lasting lifestyle changes to improve their health significantly.
Thrive AI Health has already established research partnerships with prestigious institutions and medical centers, including Stanford Medicine, the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, and the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute. These collaborations will be instrumental in not only advancing medical research and education, but in bringing the AI health coach to diverse communities.
However, can AI effectively drive behavior change? Altman and Huffington believe so. They argue that AI's ability to offer hyper-personalized, timely interventions could overcome barriers that have hindered large-scale behavior modification efforts in the past.
Despite this optimistic outlook, many questions and challenges lie ahead for Thrive AI Health—including around data privacy concerns, integration with existing healthcare systems, and proving the real-world effectiveness of AI-driven coaching.
Still, AI tools like this could reshape how we tackle chronic diseases. It's an innovative approach that deserves attention and support. If successful, it might just help create a more equitable world where technology doesn't just make us more productive, but actually helps us live healthier lives. That's a future worth pushing for.