Verily,

Alphabet Inc.’s

life sciences unit, is launching a new

AI-powered health app

just months after the Trump administration encouraged tech companies to expand the suite of

health-oriented tools

available to consumers.

The app, called Verily Me, will let users easily access and

share relevant health records

with clinicians across health-care systems. It builds on the company’s software platform, which organizes and connects data like electronic health records, or EHRs.

Major companies

, including Alphabet, Apple Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. have pledged to work with United States health systems and the Trump administration to make fragmented medical data more accessible. In July, the administration announced a voluntary deal to boost data-sharing and expand consumer health apps.

Verily’s new app includes features like Ask Violet, a

private AI companion

that can answer personal questions about health records in a protected setting. Consumers are already uploading data like lab tests and medical records into AI chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, despite

privacy concerns

.

It also has a food tracking feature that allows users to simply upload photos of their meals to get real-time feedback and nutrition tips. Companies like Oura Health Oy and Noom Inc. have rolled out similar tools that use AI to analyze meal photos in order to determine their nutritional value, allowing users to skip the tedious process of manually logging each ingredient.

Apple is also planning a food tracking feature in its revamped Health app. The company has been pushing further into health-care with plans to add additional features to its widely-used app, including a new AI agent that would replicate — at least to some extent — a real doctor. Using information collected from various Apple devices, the AI coach will offer tailor-made recommendations about ways to improve health.

Earlier this month, a senior Alphabet executive testified that the company has been working for the past two years to technologically decouple Verily so that it can be sold or spun off.

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Bloomberg.com