Sword Health
High-tech behavior change is taking shape.
Dr. Robot. In the wake of physician shortages, wellness companies are doubling down on AI.
- Ariana Huffington and Sam Altman announced Thrive AI Health, an AI health coach to manage and reverse chronic disease.
- Oura is piloting Oura Advisor, an AI wellness coach designed to give tips, answer questions, and add context to the ring’s data.
- For virtual PT guidance, Sword Health debuted a “human-like” AI bot named Phoenix.
- Focused on fitness, WHOOP unveiled an AI coach last year.
Elsewhere, Apple is still plotting its own robo-advisor to round out its ecosystem.
Democratizing reliable advice, AI coaches aim to counteract negative social determinants of health and leverage behavior-change science for better outcomes.
Healthcare x AI. Leaving strict medical support to doctors, digital coaches focus on holistic well-being — spanning sleep, nutrition, stress, exercise, and social connection.
Syncing with wearables and labs, they promise to support patients between visits, offering in-the-moment lifestyle nudges and 24/7 access.
But, while largely accepting of AI for administrative tasks, 68% of US adults fear AI will weaken patient-provider relationships, and Gen Z is particularly worried about data privacy.
Punchline: AI unlocks speed and scale — and from drug development and diagnoses to precision therapeutics, it’s already transforming healthcare. But, TBD whether algorithms can crack human motivation.
