Gabby knows health risks for adolescent girls and can assess a young woman’s medical situation in no time flat. She’s a great listener, gives astute advice, and doesn’t mind repeating herself. You can also turn Gabby on and off.

“We have developed animated computerized characters that interact with patients with empathy and are strictly tailored to their medical issues,” says Brian Jack, a professor of family medicine. “It’s extraordinarily sophisticated.”

Gabby is the latest evolution of Jack’s groundbreaking work. It builds on a computer system named Louise that he and a programmer colleague designed several years ago to help patients understand hospital discharge instructions and curb readmissions. It’s especially resonant in light of this year’s Affordable Care Act, which penalizes hospitals for excessive readmits. Louise is now being used in 49 states and 10 countries. “In a 15-minute visit, you can’t really talk about health education, diet and exercise, cholesterol, and medications.”

“We have developed animated computerized characters that interact with patients with empathy and are strictly tailored to their medical issues,” says Brian Jack, a professor of family medicine. “It’s extraordinarily sophisticated.”

Jack and his team are already fielding calls from the WHO in India interested in Gabby as well as from the health care consortium Kaiser Permanente. “Primary care is really the key to lower costs and higher-quality care. Being able to transform the environment for providers is really necessary. Computers get it right every time and we don’t always do that.”