Samsung’s new smart health assistant aims to make health metrics actually useful

Samsung Health gets a built-in AI personal health assistant. the Samsung’s new health assistant It is now launching in beta for eligible people in the US. It aims to address a common problem in digital health today: health data and metrics are often scattered across multiple apps and devices, leaving you with a lot of numbers but not enough clarity about how to interpret them for your health routine.

At the core of the experience is a “holistic” approach to health, according to the company’s press release. Samsung says Health Assistant connects information from Samsung Health’s five wellness pillars — sleep, activity, nutrition, alertness and vitality — and translates that data into personalized explanations and recommendations. You can also access items like their Power Points, with guidance provided where you can actually track and manage your health.

Samsung says the recommendations are validated by doctors and certified health coaches, and are backed by the Samsung Health knowledge base to help identify patterns and signals you might be missing. Looking to the future, Samsung says capabilities will expand toward deeper training and more services, including areas like weight management, and that it will use its own personal data engine for personalization that can take into account context like schedules and preferences.

“By leveraging our ecosystem and partnerships, we aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of health and drive real action, helping users build healthy habits and make a real difference in their lives,” Dr. Hun Bak, senior vice president and head of the digital health team at Samsung, said in a statement.

A swarm of AI health assistants

This new feature falls into an already crowded field.

The market for AI-powered health assistants and chatbots has become saturated with products promising “personalized” insights, e.g. ChatGPT Validity and Amazon health AI tool. But many of them struggle to deliver sustainable value, especially when data is fragmented, recommendations are generic and you can’t easily link everyday behaviors to long-term goals.

Samsung’s bet is that tighter integration with the existing health ecosystem, coupled with an interpretation layer that ties many areas of health together, could make AI guidance more actionable from a standalone assistant.

Missy is a staff writer on the Artificial Intelligence team. It covers how artificial intelligence is changing everyday life and how to make the most of it. This includes writing about consumer AI products and their real-world impact, from the advanced gadgets that are reshaping everyday life to the intimate ways people interact with AI technology every day. Macy is a native of North Carolina and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a BA in English and a BA in Journalism. You can contact her at mmeyer@cnet.com.

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