The annual CES trade show in Las Vegas unveiled a diverse array of health technology gadgets, each promising to enhance various aspects of personal well-being. Among the innovations showcased were smart scales designed to scan feet for heart health tracking and egg-shaped hormone trackers leveraging AI to pinpoint optimal conception times. Despite these advancements, experts in technology and health have raised significant concerns regarding the accuracy of such products and the potential for data privacy breaches, especially as the federal government signals a more relaxed regulatory approach.

A notable development from the annual Las Vegas show was the Food and Drug Administration's announcement to ease regulations on what it deems “low-risk” general wellness products, including heart monitors and wheelchairs. This move aligns with broader initiatives under President Donald Trump’s administration to dismantle barriers to AI innovation and deployment, including the repeal of former President Joe Biden’s executive order on AI guardrails and the Department of Health and Human Services’ recent strategy to expand its own use of AI.

The conference floor at CES also featured technologies aimed at addressing critical healthcare needs, such as assisting individuals in rural areas experiencing doctor shortages, bolstering research in the historically underfunded domain of women’s health, and simplifying daily life for people with disabilities. Marschall Runge, a professor of medical science at the University of Michigan, highlighted the substantial benefits AI technologies offer within the over $4.3 trillion health care industry. He noted AI’s proficiency in analyzing medical imaging and its potential to streamline doctors’ busy schedules. However, Runge also cautioned against AI’s capacity to perpetuate biases and to “hallucinate,” thereby generating incorrect information presented as factual.

Cindy Cohn, executive director of the digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation, urged the public to recognize that such technology is not equivalent to the expertise of a well-resourced, thoughtful, research-driven medical professional. Cohn expressed particular concern over data privacy, noting that existing protections like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) do not extend to information gathered by consumer devices. This regulatory gap means companies could potentially utilize collected data to train their AI models or sell it to third-party businesses. She emphasized the difficulty consumers face in understanding how their data is used, often requiring them to delve into extensive fine print, which she deems neither fair nor right for users who may depend on these products.

Conversely, product creators maintain that their innovations are vital for bridging existing gaps in healthcare and that they are committed to protecting customer privacy. Sylvia Kang, founder and CEO of Mira, explained that her egg-shaped hormone tracker was developed out of a recognized need among her friends for better understanding of their hormonal health. Her device, marketed as the “world’s mini hormone lab,” involves dipping a wand in urine, inserting it into a monitor, and viewing results via an app. Kang asserted that Mira employs AI to analyze female hormone data and possesses one of the world’s largest hormonal health banks, with data stored securely on the cloud and never shared.

A significant focus at CES was dedicated to women’s health, an area long characterized by insufficient research and funding. Before 1993, women were systematically excluded from clinical trials, and critical areas like menopause still suffer from a lack of comprehensive research. Amy Divaraniya, founder and CEO of women’s health company Oova, pointed out that while not every woman experiences childbirth, all women go through menopause, yet knowledge about it remains sparse. In response, a gadget called Peri aims to deepen understanding of perimenopause—the transitional phase before menopause—by monitoring hot flashes and night sweats, delivering data through an accompanying app.

Other innovations at CES were promoted for their potential to enhance accessibility to health information. Allen Au, founder and architect of 0xmd, a free, medicine-focused AI chatbot, highlighted its role in improving access to medical information in regions with doctor shortages and offering a cost-effective alternative. Users can query the chatbot about medicine, upload photos of skin anomalies, or submit doctors’ notes for simplified translations. Au clarified that while the chatbot provides a second opinion, it is not intended to replace medical doctors. This development comes as OpenAI also announced the launch of ChatGPT Health, a similar platform. Despite these advancements, Cindy Cohn reiterated her skepticism regarding consumer tech, suggesting these tools can help individuals formulate better questions for their medical professionals but are not substitutes for a doctor. She concluded by reminding people that “these are just tools; they’re not oracles who are delivering truths.”