OpenAI and Anthropic are making their play for healthcare, and we’re not surprised

January 18, 2026

1 1 minute read

AI companies are clustering around healthcare, and fast.

This past week, OpenAI bought health startup Torch, Anthropic launched Claude for Health, and Sam Altman-backed Merge Labs closed a $250 million seed round at an $850 million valuation. The money and products are flowing into healthcare and voice AI, but so are concerns about the risk of hallucinations, inaccurate medical information, and massive security vulnerabilities in systems that process sensitive patient data.

Today on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Sean O’Kane discuss why the AI world is suddenly obsessed with healthcare, what other products can expect an AI makeover, and more.

Listen to the full episode and hear:

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