The recent launch of ChatGPT Health has prompted health and wellness brands to consider how this new platform may impact users. Communicators know that the real challenge isn’t the technology itself; rather, it’s how companies speak about it. In healthcare, messaging can make or break a brand’s image. In this article, Lindsay Silverberg, Founder and PR Consultant at LPR Consulting, and Gabe Plesent, Founder and Principal at Press Play Media, detail the best ways brands can approach their communications strategy in a post-ChatGPT Health world.

1. Don’t Think About Competing With AI

ChatGPT Health shouldn’t be thought of as a threat or competition. Data already shows that consumers are using AI to help them interpret symptoms, routines, and their health data. It’s unlikely that genie is going back in the bottle, and brands need to learn to coexist with the platform rather than fighting it.

Our advice: anchor your brand as a trusted authority that contextualizes AI and gives rationale to people. Healthcare brands should say, implicitly or explicitly: “AI can help you ask better questions, but we help ensure the answers lead to safe, informed action.” This means leaning into credentials, clinical oversight, outcomes, and regulatory guardrails, not dismissing AI’s role, but clarifying where professional judgment, FDA standards, or longitudinal care still matter.

2. Trust and Transparency Matter More Than Ever

ChatGPT Health is shifting the conversation from “cool tech” to privacy, continuity, and boundaries. At least… that’s what they’re saying. Healthcare brands must echo that same message to build trust with their users.

PR teams are advising clients right now to proactively communicate:

• What data you do and don’t collect
• How decisions are made (human-in-the-loop, escalation points, second opinions)
• Where AI assists vs. where licensed professionals intervene

From a strategic comms view, the goal is to be responsible for anyone seeking health or medical advice, not to sound innovative or groundbreaking. In a world where Chatbots, LLMs, and AI tools are openly described as probabilistic and imperfect, brands that clearly articulate how they reduce risk will win credibility with media, regulators, patients, and consumers.

3. AI Must be Framed as a Helpful Tool, Not a Replacement

Experienced journalists will likely explore the angle that “AI replaces doctors.” Brands, however, need to remember: AI is a tool, not a placement.

Patients and reporters know the value of human-led healthcare. Brands must emphasize that AI will never replace physicians. Instead, AI will give physicians more time to do what matters most: connect with their patients.

We, as PR Pros, are urging brands to focus on:

• Reduced time spent on administrative tasks: Chat GPTHealth may very well be used one day to help with backend tasks 
• Better patient preparation and follow-through: Chat GPTHealth can help better equip patients with questions to ask their physicians
• Continued evolution in the HealthTech sector: This is the first subcategory of its kind for ChatGPT, and it makes the healthcare industry a critical space to watch

The same goes for drafting healthcare-related press materials. ChatGPT are now sometimes used to draft press releases, patient-friendly communications, and even internal communications, but it cannot replace expert judgment. All written materials must be reviewed by someone with clinical expertise.

4. Follow Its Progress

Like any AI-driven innovation, there is one guarantee - ChatGPT Health will evolve, both in its service offerings and how it is being received by media.

Take the time to understand how it uses patient data and how it approaches regulatory compliance in your region. Talk with fellow healthcare providers and consider its impact. What is a hot topic today could become an essential service tomorrow, so before weighing in, make sure you fully grasp what ChatGPT Health means for your business.