Apple is reportedly developing new projects to move deeper into the health and wellness space.
According to a Tuesday (April 25) report by Bloomberg News, the company is at work on a health coaching service — codenamed Quartz — which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help users exercise, develop healthy eating habits and sleep better.
Sources with knowledge of the matter say Apple wants to use AI and data from its Apple Watch to make suggestions designed for specific users.
PYMNTS has reached out to Apple for comment but has not yet received a reply.
The Bloomberg report says Quartz is planned for next year, although the project could be postponed or scrapped altogether. It is being undertaken by a number of groups at Apple, including its health, Siri and AI teams.
The report also notes that Apple plans to release a version of its iPhone health app designed for the iPad, allowing users to see health data like electrocardiogram results in a larger format.
The news follows reports from last week that Apple was developing a wellness-centered journal app, which lets users record their thoughts and activities.
Meanwhile, research by PYMNTS has shown that consumers are growing more comfortable with digital wearables that manage their health.
Forty-three percent of Americans say they’ve used some sort of wearable health tech to automatically track, store and analyze health, according to the PYMNTS/CareCredit study “Connected Wellness: What’s Next in the Connected Economy.”
In addition, a growing range of digital healthcare options have reshaped the way consumers gain access to healthcare.
For example, further PYMNTS/CareCredit research found that each month in 2022, an average of 100 million consumers attended telehealth appointments, while 118 million scheduled appointments, checked test results and made healthcare payments via digital channels.
PYMNTS also looked recently at the impact of AI in healthcare, noting there were “a lot of impacts to be excited about as healthcare, medical device, and pharmaceutical companies deepen their investments” in the technology.
Nevertheless, recent Pew Research finds that 60% of adults in the U.S. say they are not comfortable with the notion of their healthcare provider relying on artificial intelligence to diagnose diseases and recommend treatments. A third of Americans say they think this practice could lead to worse outcomes.
“The ideal scenario, outside of operational optimization of billing and account management, appears to be one where AI works together with trained physicians and researchers to solve medical problems and enhance care delivery,” PYMNTS wrote.
