ChatGPT users in the United States sent more than 40 million messages a week about healthcare for someone else during October, OpenAI estimated in a Nov. 10 announcement of caregiver workshops.
The estimate covered Oct. 9-29 and used a method intended to protect users’ privacy. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, published it in “Helping caregivers use AI in everyday life” alongside plans for free workshops in five US cities.
OpenAI Academy scheduled the in-person sessions for Nov. 10 with Caregiver Action Network, the Alzheimer’s Association and the American Diabetes Association, the company said. The events coincide with National Family Caregivers Month and aim to help participants use ChatGPT for everyday caregiving tasks.
The company described the figure as an estimate of ChatGPT use. It gave no further details about how it identified messages concerning care for another person. The figure counts messages, rather than individual caregivers, and covers a three-week period.
The workshops are intended for individual and family caregivers, organizations that support them, and people living with chronic or serious health conditions. The announcement did not identify the five cities or give an expected attendance figure.
Participants will practice using ChatGPT to find resources and explore ways it can help with peer support and caregiving. One exercise will involve turning trusted educational resources into materials written in plain language. The sessions require no coding skills or technical background.
The training will also cover protecting personal information and understanding the limits of AI tools. Participants will learn when to consult healthcare professionals and how to use AI alongside medical, legal or financial advice, rather than as a replacement.
OpenAI facilitators and mentors will provide hands-on help throughout the sessions. The format gives caregivers an opportunity to practice with peers and discuss the everyday problems they hope the tools can help them address.
The partner organizations’ experience supporting people with serious illnesses and their families will inform the workshops. Caregivers’ own experiences will also help connect the training to the needs of each community, according to the company.
The events extend OpenAI Academy’s training work with nonprofits, small businesses, school educators and older adults. The company plans to use questions, ideas and experiences from caregivers and community health organizations to help develop future learning resources. The announcement did not set a timetable for those resources or describe how the company would assess the workshops’ results.
