Apple will push further into healthcare with an AI-driven doctor — a kind of health coach that would be integrated with the company’s mobile devices.
As reported by Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, the initiative is called Project Mulberry and could yield a version for consumers as early as next year and launch with a future version of iOS. It would reportedly offer advice on food habits and exercise techniques, and use data that Apple already collects from Apple’s Health app and hardware including the Apple Watch.
It’s no secret that Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has been promising that the company’s long-term plans include a big push into more health-related technologies.
Apple didn’t immediately respond to request for comment.
It’s unclear if Apple’s initiative would work as an actual diagnosing medical resource meant to replicate a physician as Gurman’s report calling it an «AI doctor service» suggests or it it’s meant to be more of a virtual health and wellness advisor. According to the report, the AI agent is being trained on actual physician data and may include content from doctors and health experts as part of its service. The overall package could end up as another pillar of Apple’s evolving services business and called «Health Plus.»
While there’s huge promise in marrying AI with healthcare, especially in preventative care and risk assessment, as the Mayo Clinic points out, there are others warning that mixing artificial intelligence with medical care could have its pitfalls.
In December, the healthcare research nonprofit ECRI released a report citing AI as its top hazard for healthcare in 2025. While the report says AI could potentially transform healthcare for the better, issues such as inaccurate or misleading AI responses and AI-powered products that don’t work as promised are potential dangers for the health industry.
