Perplexity's 'Computer' reads health data
Perplexity’s product 'Computer' now integrates health data from apps and wearables to provide personalized tools — a move that tightens AI assistants to sensitive personal health signals and raises privacy trade-offs. The update was announced publicly on March 19. (x.com)
At launch Perplexity’s new “Perplexity Health” connectors list includes Apple Health, Fitbit, Ultrahuman, Withings, Clue and says it can surface electronic health records from more than 1.7 million care providers. (perplexity.ai(perplexity.ai); macrumors.com(macrumors.com)) Perplexity announced a formal integration with b.well Connected Health to route EHR access through a national health-data network for personalized AI answers. (prnewswire.com(prnewswire.com); modernhealthcare.com(modernhealthcare.com)) Perplexity states health data ingested by the connectors will be encrypted and subject to “strict access controls,” and the product UI includes management and deletion tools for connected health information. (perplexity.ai(perplexity.ai); macrumors.com(macrumors.com)) The Health connectors are built into Perplexity Computer, the company’s agentic stack that the firm says orchestrates dozens of specialized models and long-running background workflows for tasks beyond search. (therundown.ai(therundown.ai); avenuez.com(avenuez.com)) Perplexity showcased a concrete use case: answering a question like “Should I be worried about this resting heart rate?” by combining months of workout metrics, cardiac history from EHRs, and recent lab results to produce a personalized, citation-backed response. (gadgetbond.com(gadgetbond.com); perplexity.ai(perplexity.ai)) Coverage and commentary flagged privacy and safety concerns about consumer-facing AI that can access dense medical records, with at least one outlet urging caution and critics pointing to the risks of misuse despite Perplexity’s stated controls. (appleinsider.com(appleinsider.com); blog.d3alpha.com(blog.d3alpha.com))
