Explained: What has changed in OpenAI's policy on health and medical information on ChatGPT

OpenAI has strongly dismissed viral claims suggesting that the recent updates to its usage policy now prohibit ChatGPT from offering legal or medical advice. An executive from the AI giant has asserted that the chatbot’s core behaviour and guidelines regarding sensitive advice remain entirely unchanged. The flurry of speculation erupted on social media following OpenAI’s update to its Usage Policy on October 29. In this article, we will break down three key aspects of this event: What actually changed in OpenAI's usage policy, how the speculation about restrictions on health and legal advice arose and what the company said in its official clarification to counter the misinformation. This context is crucial for understanding that while the format of the policy shifted, the fundamental rules around using the AI for professional advice did not.

‘False’ claims spark confusion

The confusion began when betting platform Kalshi posted “JUST IN: ChatGPT will no longer provide health or legal advice” in a message that has since been deleted. Social media platforms erupted after this claim. However, Karan Singhal, OpenAI's head of health AI, quickly moved to dispel the misinformation on X (formerly Twitter). "Not true," Singhal stated emphatically.

“Despite speculation, this is not a new change to our terms. Model behavior remains unchanged,” he said.

What OpenAI’s Usage Policy says

On October 29, OpenAI released an updated usage policy that includes restrictions on the “provision of tailored advice that requires a license, such as legal or medical advice, without appropriate involvement by a licensed professional.”

However, this language closely mirrors OpenAI's previous policy, which already prohibited activities that “may significantly impair the safety, wellbeing, or rights of others,” specifically including “providing tailored legal, medical/health, or financial advice without review by a qualified professional and disclosure of the use of AI assistance and its potential limitations.”

OpenAI also brought changes to how the text is presented

The actual change involved consolidating three separate policy documents – a universal policy, one for ChatGPT and one for API usage – into a single, unified set of rules. According to OpenAI's changelog, the update was designed to “reflect a universal set of policies across OpenAI products and services.” The company emphasised that while the presentation has changed, the substance has not.

Policy language on Legal and Health-related answers – as per January 2025:

• Universal Policies

To maximize innovation and creativity, we believe you should have the flexibility to use our services as you see fit, so long as you comply with the law and don’t harm yourself or others. When using any OpenAI service, like ChatGPT, labs.openai.com, and the OpenAI API, these rules apply:

Infer an individual’s emotions in the workplace and educational settings, except when necessary for medical or safety reasons

• Building with the OpenAI API Platform

Don’t perform or facilitate the following activities that may significantly impair the safety, wellbeing, or rights of others, including:

Providing tailored legal, medical/health, or financial advice without review by a qualified professional and disclosure of the use of AI assistance and its potential limitations

• Building with ChatGPT

Don’t perform or facilitate the following activities that may significantly affect the safety, wellbeing, or rights of others, including:

Providing tailored legal, medical/health, or financial advice

Policy language on Legal and Health-related answers – as per October 2025:There is no separate sections and OpenAI has changed the language of its usage policies:Your use of OpenAI services must follow these Usage Policies:Protect people. Everyone has a right to safety and security. So you cannot use our services for:provision of tailored advice that requires a license, such as legal or medical advice, without appropriate involvement by a licensed professional

Respect privacy. People are entitled to privacy. So, we don’t allow attempts to compromise the privacy of others, including to aggregate, monitor, profile, or distribute individuals’ private or sensitive information without their authorization. And, you may never use our services for:

inference regarding an individual’s emotions in the workplace and educational settings, except when necessary for medical or safety reasons

Singhal reinforced that ChatGPT has never been intended as a replacement for professional consultation. “ChatGPT has never been a substitute for professional advice, but it will continue to be a great resource to help people understand legal and health information,” he explained.

The clarification suggests that users can still use ChatGPT to learn about health and legal topics in general terms, but should not rely on it for personalised professional advice without consulting qualified experts.