Apple Inc. is reportedly developing an AI-powered health coaching service, an emotion tracking technology, and an iPad health app, as part of its ongoing expansion into health services.
However, these innovations are raising questions about privacy and the potentially dystopian consequences of tracking users’ emotions and health data.
The new health coaching service, codenamed Quartz, aims to motivate users to exercise, improve their eating habits, and sleep better, say insiders familiar with the project, according to a Bloomberg report.
By leveraging AI and data from Apple Watches, the service intends to create personalized coaching programs for users.
However, the sources requested anonymity as the initiatives are yet to be announced.
Quartz is reminiscent of LumiHealth, a wellness and coaching service launched by Apple in partnership with the Singapore government in 2020.
One key difference is that while LumiHealth rewarded users monetarily for maintaining their health, the new Apple service will charge a monthly fee.
The service, set to be launched next year, will also have its own app, Bloomberg notes.
However, its release may be canceled or postponed.
The project is being led by several Apple groups, including its health, Siri and AI teams, as well as its services division.
In the near future, the company plans to introduce an iPad version of the iPhone health app for the first time.
This addition, which will enable users to view electrocardiogram results and other health data in a larger format, is scheduled to be part of iPadOS 17 later this year.
The health app is central to Apple’s health initiatives, serving as a storage for fitness data collected by the Apple Watch and external health records, and as a portal for users to share information with their doctors.
This year, Apple will also add tools for tracking emotions and managing vision conditions, such as nearsightedness, to the health app.
The initial version of the emotion tracker will enable users to log their mood, answer questions about their day, and compare the results over time.
Apple is set to unveil the new iPad app and tools for managing emotions and vision at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June.
However, Apple’s plan to use algorithms to determine users’ moods via their speech, typed words, and other device data raises privacy concerns.
One Twitter reacted to the news, citing “concerning” fears over personal information.
“I opted for not sharing any of my personal information with Apple including health,” the user tweeted. “The implications of allowing Apple to build a massive AI with user information is quite concerning.”
Another user commented, “Artificial intelligence-powered health coaching service and new technology for tracking emotions. Sounds a little dystopian to me.”
“AI can learn to identify vulnerabilities in human habits and behaviours and use them to influence human decision-making,” the user went on to say.
