Your Health Data in AI: What's Really Happening Behind the Scenes

When you tell an AI about your health, you're sharing some of the most personal information about yourself. Sleep patterns. Heart rate data. Dietary habits. Physical symptoms. Mental health concerns.

This information reveals more about you than almost any other data type. It deserves serious privacy protection.

As health AI becomes more sophisticated—with ChatGPT Health launching this week and platforms like The Wellness A\ offering deep wearable integration—understanding how these systems handle your data becomes increasingly important.

Why Health AI Raises Privacy Flags

Health information is special under privacy law for good reason. It can be used to discriminate in employment, insurance, and housing. It can cause embarrassment or social harm if disclosed. It can be exploited by bad actors for fraud or manipulation.

When this information flows to AI platforms, several questions arise:

Where is the data stored? Physical server location affects which laws apply and who can access information under legal process. How is the data used? Beyond providing responses to you, is your health information training AI models, sold to third parties, or analyzed for commercial purposes? Who can access it? What employees, contractors, or systems can see your health conversations? How long is it retained? Does the platform delete data when you stop using it, or keep it indefinitely? What security protects it? Is the data encrypted, access-logged, and protected against breaches?

These aren't paranoid questions. They're exactly what privacy regulators ask about health data processing.

ChatGPT Health's Privacy Architecture

OpenAI addressed privacy directly in ChatGPT Health's launch. The company made several specific commitments:

Health conversations operate in a "separate space" from regular ChatGPT chats. This compartmentalization means your health discussions don't mix with other conversations.

Conversations in Health are not used to train OpenAI's foundation models. This addresses concerns about health information influencing AI training data.

The feature includes "purpose-built encryption and isolation" for health information.

These protections sound robust. However, privacy advocates noted important nuances.

The Center for Democracy and Technology's Andrew Crawford pointed out that health data shared with AI companies falls outside HIPAA protections. HIPAA applies when doctors and insurers hold your health data. It doesn't apply to technology companies handling the same information.

This means users must trust OpenAI's voluntary commitments rather than relying on regulatory enforcement. If OpenAI changes its policies or suffers a breach, HIPAA penalties don't apply.

Crawford also noted that the burden falls on consumers to analyze whether they're comfortable with how platforms use health data—a significant ask given the complexity of data practices.

The UK Regulatory Context

The UK's privacy framework differs from the US in ways that affect health AI.

UK GDPR (the UK's version of the European General Data Protection Regulation) classifies health data as a "special category" requiring enhanced protection. Organizations processing health data need explicit consent, must demonstrate lawful basis, and face stricter accountability requirements.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has enforcement powers including substantial fines for violations. Unlike HIPAA, UK GDPR applies to any organization processing UK residents' data, regardless of whether they're traditional healthcare providers.

This regulatory environment partly explains why ChatGPT Health isn't available in the UK. Complying with UK GDPR requires building specific protections into systems from the start—more challenging for US-designed products than simply restricting geographic access.

For UK users, this means platforms available in the UK market have already navigated stricter privacy requirements. The Wellness A\, designed for UK standards, incorporates privacy protections aligned with what UK law expects.

How to Evaluate Health AI Privacy

When considering any health AI platform, several factors help assess privacy practices:

Clear privacy policy. The platform should have an accessible, specific privacy policy explaining exactly how health data is collected, used, stored, and protected. Vague language is a warning sign. Data minimization. Good privacy practice means collecting only what's needed. Platforms requesting unnecessary permissions or information may not prioritize privacy. User control. You should be able to view, export, and delete your data. Platforms that make data deletion difficult aren't respecting user privacy. Encryption standards. Health data should be encrypted both in transit and at rest. Ask what encryption is used and how keys are managed. Third-party sharing. Does the platform share data with advertisers, partners, or other third parties? For health information, the answer should generally be no. Breach history and response. How has the company handled past security incidents? Transparency about breaches (and their absence) matters. Regulatory compliance. For UK users, UK GDPR compliance is baseline. Additional certifications like ISO 27001 indicate serious security investment.

The Wellness A\ Privacy Approach

The Wellness A\ was designed with UK privacy requirements in mind from inception. This isn't retrofitted compliance—it's foundational architecture.

Key privacy features:

Data control. Users decide what to connect, what to share, and can delete their data at any time. No artificial barriers to exercising control. Purpose limitation. Health data is used to provide wellness insights to you. It's not sold, shared for advertising, or repurposed for unrelated commercial uses. UK data handling. Processing aligned with UK GDPR requirements for special category data. Security investment. Encryption, access controls, and security monitoring appropriate for sensitive personal information. Transparent policies. Clear documentation of data practices without legal obfuscation.

Making Informed Choices

Using health AI involves sharing sensitive information. That trade-off can be worthwhile—personalized wellness insights based on your data provide more value than generic advice.

But the trade-off should be informed. Understanding what happens to your data enables conscious choice rather than unintentional exposure.

For UK users, the regulatory environment provides some baseline protection. Platforms operating in this market have compliance obligations that US-only products don't face.

Beyond regulation, evaluating specific platform practices helps identify which services align with your privacy expectations. Some users prioritize convenience over privacy. Others won't share health data without strong protections.

Neither choice is wrong. What matters is that you know what you're choosing.

The Bottom Line

Health AI privacy isn't just a checkbox. It's an ongoing practice of handling sensitive personal information appropriately.

ChatGPT Health has made specific commitments about privacy, though outside US health privacy law. UK users can't evaluate those commitments firsthand since the service isn't available here.

The Wellness A\ was built for UK privacy standards, providing wellness-informed AI with data handling aligned to what British law expects for health information.

When choosing any health AI, understand what you're sharing, how it's used, and what protections exist. Your health data deserves that consideration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my health data in AI protected by HIPAA?

HIPAA applies to healthcare providers and insurers, not technology companies. Health data shared with AI platforms like ChatGPT or The Wellness A\ falls outside HIPAA coverage. Protection depends on company practices and applicable data protection law.

Does UK GDPR protect health data in AI?

Yes. UK GDPR classifies health data as a special category requiring enhanced protection. Organizations processing UK residents' health data face strict requirements and potential enforcement by the ICO.

Why isn't ChatGPT Health available in the UK?

OpenAI cited privacy regulations in the UK, EU, and Switzerland. Rather than build compliance with these stricter frameworks, the company excluded these markets from the initial launch.

Can I delete my health data from The Wellness A\?

Yes. Users can view, export, and delete their data at any time. The platform doesn't create artificial barriers to exercising data control.

Is The Wellness A\ UK GDPR compliant?

The platform was designed for UK privacy requirements and operates in compliance with UK GDPR for health data processing.