OpenAI has completed the acquisition of Torch, a small-scale health records startup that employs only four individuals. The deal is valued at approximately $100 million, and the Torch team will now become an integral part of OpenAI. Torch's flagship product is an innovative app designed to aggregate personal medical data. By consolidating this information into a unified data layer, the app aims to significantly enhance the application capabilities of AI in health-related scenarios. The co-founders of Torch bring valuable experience from their previous tenure at Forward Health, which unfortunately shut down at the end of 2024. In a sense, Torch represents a renewed endeavor in the realm of 'AI + medical services.'

This acquisition by OpenAI can be primarily viewed as a strategic move to acquire top-tier talent. The technology and expertise of the Torch team are expected to provide crucial foundational data support for OpenAI's 'ChatGPT Health' initiative. At present, OpenAI handles an impressive volume of approximately 230 million health-related user inquiries on a weekly basis. Balancing the practicality of its services with the imperative to safeguard user privacy and ensure regulatory compliance poses a significant challenge for the company.

Following the acquisition, Torch is set to evolve into an essential infrastructure module within OpenAI's health business ecosystem. This strategic move not only reinforces the growing trend of AI companies extending their large-scale models into the medical industry but also ignites widespread concern and vigorous discussion regarding data security and medical regulation compliance.