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Discom Stelo on Tuesday announced an artificial intelligence feature for its Stelo continuous glucose monitor that gives users personalized insight into how meals, sleep and activity affect their glucose levels. It's the first iteration of a new generative AI platform the company has been building Google Cloud.
Stelo is an over-the-counter CGM device that penetrates the skin to measure blood sugar levels in real time. The sensor was launched in August and can be used by any adult who does not take insulin.
The report reflects Dexcom's efforts to make Stelo more personalized and attractive to consumers as it works to penetrate a new market.
“The first feedback we're getting is that users want to see more,” Jake Leach, Dexcom's chief operating officer, told CNBC in an interview. “They're making the investment, they're wearing the product, and they want to be able to get the most out of all the data they're generating.”
Dexcom is using Google's Gemini models and its Vertex AI platform as the foundation for its new AI offering. Vertex AI allows developers to create applications that collect different types of data, which can be a major challenge in healthcare.
Dexcom is also exploring how its generative AI platform could be used across other CGM products, but the company is proceeding more cautiously given that patients rely on it to prevent medical emergencies, Leach said.
“I really felt like Stelo was the right place to do it for the first time,” he said.
The current Insights report was already available to users within the Stelo app, but it followed a more standard template format each week. Dexcom believes the AI-generated report will be more valuable to users because it is personalized, Leach said.
If there is a week in which the user does not move enough after meals, for example, the report will include relevant tips and educational materials to help.
Stelo's AI reports do not provide users with medical advice, though Dexcom is using an AI framework from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help guide development of the feature, Leach said. The US Food and Drug Administration approved Stelo in March.
Ultimately, Dexcom wants to use its generative AI platform to provide real-time feedback to users rather than just weekly reports. The company is also exploring how this technology could serve as a predictive indicator of potential problems, much like the check engine light in a car.
“It gives you an idea of what could happen, and recommendations of where you might want to go for further advice,” Chris Sakalosky, vice president of strategic industries at Google Cloud, said in an interview with CNBC.
Dexcom's updated weekly report for Stelo users began rolling out this week.
