Dexcom Launches Generative AI Platform for Stelo Users

Dexcom on Tuesday announced an artificial intelligence feature for its Stelo continuous glucose monitor that gives users personalized insight into the impact of meals, sleep and activity on their glucose levels. This is the first iteration of a new generative AI platform that the company has built with Google Cloud.

Stelo is an over-the-counter CGM that passes through the skin to measure blood sugar 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 appealing to consumers as it strives to enter a new market.

“The number one feedback we get is that users want to see more,” Jake Leach, chief operating officer at Dexcom, told CNBC in an interview. “They’re investing and carrying the product, and they want to be able to get the most out of all the data they’re generating.”

Dexcom uses Google’s Gemini models and its Vertex AI platform as the basis for its new AI offering. Vertex AI allows developers to create applications that synthesize different types of data, which can be particularly difficult in healthcare.

Leach said Dexcom is also exploring how its generative AI platform can be used in its other CGM products, but the company is proceeding very cautiously since patients rely on them to prevent medical emergencies.

“I really felt like Stelo was the right place to do this for the first time,” he said.

An existing news report was already available to users in 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 where a user is not moving enough after meals, for example, the report will include relevant tips and educational materials to help them.

Stelo’s AI reports do not give medical advice to users, although Dexcom used an AI framework from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to guide the development of the feature, Leach said. The FDA approved Stelo in March.

Ultimately, Dexcom wants to use its generative AI platform to provide real-time feedback to users instead of just weekly reports. The company is also exploring how the technology could act as a predictive indicator of potential problems, much like a check engine light on a car.

“It gives you an idea of ​​what might be happening and recommendations for where you might want to seek more advice,” said Chris Sakalosky, vice president of strategic industries for Google Cloud, in an interview with CNBC.

Dexcom’s updated weekly report began rolling out to Stelo users this week.