NEWS YOU CAN’T MISS

The AI App Store That’s Letting Clinicians Take Control

Hippocratic AI, a healthcare technology company founded in 2023, has recently made headlines with the launch of its innovative Healthcare AI Agent App Store.

• What’s cool about this platform is that it allows medical professionals to create AI-powered virtual healthcare assistants without needing programming skills.

• These AI agents are like digital nurses or medical assistants that can talk to patients, answer questions, and provide safe medical information.

• They're designed for tasks such as follow-up care, medication reminders, and health assessments, but they don't make diagnoses or replace human doctors.

Now, they’re putting the power directly into clinicians’ hands, letting them design tools that address their unique challenges.

What makes this news exciting is that:

1. It's fast: Doctors and nurses can create these AI helpers without any tech background in under 30 minutes.

2. It's collaborative: Healthcare professionals who understand the medical domain directly shape the AI's capabilities.

3. It's safe: Each AI agent goes through rigorous safety checks, including testing by thousands of real nurses and doctors.

4. It's diverse: The app store already has over 300 AI agents covering more than 25 medical specialties.

This development comes shortly after Hippocratic AI raised $141 million in funding, bringing the company’s valuation to $1.64B and showing strong investor interest in AI-powered healthcare solutions.

The goal is to make healthcare more accessible and efficient, especially in areas with limited medical resources.

Here’s what I think: While these AI agents can't replace human medical professionals, they can help by handling routine tasks, allowing doctors and nurses to focus on more complex patient needs and spend more time on patient care.

ps. I also love the emphasis the company has on being a safety-first leader in healthcare AI. CEO Munjal Shah emphasizes this, stating, “We truly believe that clinicians know best.”

A New Kind of Love: Your AI Pet

Who doesn’t love having an adorable pet? Unveiled at CES 2025 by the Beijing-based company founded in 2022, Ropet is designed to enrich human connection through technology.

Weighing just 600 grams, Ropet utilizes advanced AI to display emotions, react to touch, and adapt to your interactions over time, much like a living pet.

Why Ropet feels so real:

• Equipped with a camera, microphone, and sensors, it uses ChatGPT to engage in conversations and remember the faces that interact with it.

• The screen-based eyes convey emotions like shyness or joy, and petting its soft exterior can brighten its “mood” - how cute is that 🙂

• It stays warm at 37°C and rumbles when “hungry,” inviting users to feed it toy bananas or apples.

Why it matters: Loneliness is more common than we might admit - a 2024 Harvard study found that 21% of US adults experience loneliness. Traditional pets are a tried-and-true remedy, but not everyone can handle the time, cost, or commitment they demand.

Ropet provides a low-maintenance alternative for those seeking companionship (think of your aging parent or grandparent) without the added responsibilities. A 30-minute charge gives you two hours of nonstop companionship—no walks, no mess, no hassle.

What’s even more interesting is that over 70% of Ropet’s early backers are women—mostly busy professionals. To me, this speaks volumes about our modern lives. So many of us crave connection but don’t have the bandwidth for the responsibilities that come with it.

If you’re curious, a Ropet costs $299.

Would You Let AI Cook Your Next BBQ?

California-based barbeque tech startup ‘Brisk It’ has released Zelos 450, the first ever AI-powered grill to automate cooking and help you make the best meals every time.

Here’s the scoop: Users interact with the grill via a mobile app. Simply upload a photo of your ingredients or a dish, and the AI suggests recipes to try.

Once you select a recipe, the AI manages tasks like temperature adjustments and timing while letting you control key decisions—like when to start cooking. It ensures precision and skill in every step, whether you’re grilling medium-rare steaks or spritzing ribs to perfection.

Priced at $399, it’s a game-changer for all of us in the “burnt BBQ-ers” club. But does it make grilling too easy and take the fun out of BBQing with your besties?