Imagine having a personal AI doctor right on your phone, monitoring your health and offering tailored advice—sounds like the future, right? Well, Apple just hit the brakes on that vision. According to Bloomberg, the tech giant has significantly scaled back its plans for an AI-powered health assistant, codenamed Mulberry, which was supposed to revolutionize how we manage our well-being. But here's where it gets interesting: while the full-fledged AI doctor won't be making its debut, some of its features will still find their way into the Health app over time. So, what happened?
Before the cutback, Apple had ambitious plans to launch this AI health coach as part of a new Health+ subscription service. The idea was to combine data from devices like the Apple Watch and iPhone with lab reports to provide personalized guidance. For instance, if your Apple Watch detected a potential heart issue, the AI would serve up educational videos about heart disease risks and even suggest diet and exercise plans to mitigate them. It sounded like a game-changer—until it wasn’t.
And this is the part most people miss: Apple’s services chief, Eddy Cue, took over the health and fitness team last year and reportedly wasn’t impressed with the project. Sources say he felt competitors like Oura and Whoop already offered superior features through their iOS apps. This raises a bold question: Did Apple underestimate the competition, or is there more to this story? It’s a controversial point that’s sure to spark debate.
While the AI doctor project has been shelved, Apple isn’t abandoning AI-powered health advice entirely. Rumor has it that the company is working on turning Siri into a chatbot that could tap into your Health app data to answer health-related queries. Plus, Siri’s long-awaited ability to draw context from other apps is expected to arrive soon with iOS 26.4. So, while the AI doctor may be on hold, Apple’s health ambitions are far from over.
But here’s the real question: Is Apple making the right call by scaling back its AI health plans, or are they missing out on a massive opportunity? Let’s discuss—what do you think? Are competitors like Oura and Whoop truly ahead of the game, or is there still room for Apple to innovate in this space? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
