You’ll soon be able to ask Alexa for medical advice in the UK

Image: CHRISTINA ASCANI/MASHABLE

“Alexa, how do I get rid of this migraine?”

Amazon’s Alexa will soon be answering medical questions asked by UK users, thanks to a partnership with the country’s National Health Service (NHS). 

The project has been announced by health secretary Matt Hancock and will see the smart assistant delivering results using an algorithm that pulls data from the NHS website. A similar feature was launched in partnership with WebMD in the U.S. in 2017.

The UK service is meant to provide answers to questions about common illnesses, with qualms such as “Alexa, how do I treat a migraine?” and “Alexa, what are the symptoms of flu?”.

Hancock described the partnership as a means to ease pressure on the NHS, and for “reducing the pressure on our hardworking GPs and pharmacists.”

“We want to empower every patient to take better control of their healthcare and technology like this is a great example of how people can access reliable, world-leading NHS advice from the comfort of their home,” he said in a press statement.

With Amazon recently confirming it stores Alexa data even if you wipe your account, critics have questioned the project’s potential to impinge on data protection. Civil liberty group Big Brother Watch told the BBC the partnership was “a data protection disaster waiting to happen.”

Other criticism has come from those concerned over Amazon’s unfettered access to the publicly-funded NHS database.

These relevant and reasonable points being said, easy access to medical information might prove useful for those somewhat unable or resistant to seek immediate medical advice on a daily basis.

“The public need to be able to get reliable information about their health easily and in ways they actually use,” Matthew Gould, chief executive of NHSX, said in a press statement. 

“By working closely with Amazon and other tech companies, big and small, we can ensure that the millions of users looking for health information every day can get simple, validated advice at the touch of a button or voice command.”