Paging Dr. Alexa to the living room: Smart speakers becoming healthcare aides

In the wake of Alexa’s success at gaining HIPAA-compliant medical skills, AI developers are working to offer smart speakers that do everything from warning homebound people they’re having a heart attack to taking clinical notes for physicians during patient visits.

California Healthline has posted an update on the activity.

“Amazon’s efforts in this domain are important because, with its 100 million smart devices in use worldwide, it could radically change the way consumers get health information and even treatment—and not just tech-savvy consumers,” the outlet reports. “Analysts expect 55% of U.S. households will have smart speakers by 2022.”