AI & Longevity Hype: Tastes Great, Less Filling
Overhyping healthcare trends often misses the bigger picture, dilutes the impact real innovation can have, and leaves a trail of broken promises and unfulfilled potential when hype fades. We've seen this play out in value-based care and digital health, and we may see the same thing happen in the current darlings: longevity/wellness and AI.
All these concepts have merit. In fact, I'd say they're all critical to the future of healthcare. But, to mix metaphors, we're chasing sugar highs rather than building the foundation of a sustainable, nutritious foundation.
Longevity & Wellness
When it comes to longevity, we're mis-framing the argument and chasing the wrong population. I've spent my career replacing hips and knees — one of the most effective "wellness" hacks in medicine. In my experience, patients don’t necessarily want to live longer; they want to live well later in life.
In short, it's about quality, not quantity.
The current longevity trend is being misrepresented as biohacking for the worried well. This is the wrong framing. The goals should be prevention, early detection, and focused, high-yield intervention, everything we expect from true primary care and a functioning health system.
Artificial Intelligence
AI is booming, but there’s a general lack of direction. There are 60+ ambient AI scribe products. While investment dollars continue to flow in, no one is quite sure what the next use case of AI in healthcare will be. Improving back-office workflows with AI agents and automated campaigns are logical next steps. Deep analysis of patient data to surface insights and personalize care is another possibility. These areas are quickly becoming red oceans with an influx of investment dollars and startup entrants.
AI in healthcare is becoming saturated and pricey.
There are challenges: implementation complexity, cost, and safety chief among them. But there's another challenge that may not be getting enough attention — foundational models have gotten good, really good. Many front-end wrappers are starting to feel like expensive middlemen.
One solution is to build AI tools in-house. Smaller, nimbler practices with motivated teams will move faster. Legacy systems anchored to massive EMRs, complex IT infrastructure, and multiple admin layers will struggle. Implementing AI from the ground up works better than retrofitting it on to existing processes.
We're in the tastes great, less filling phase of longevity/wellness and AI. Hype is high, capital is flowing, and business models come later.
We've been here before.
Good feelings and empty calories don't build the future — they pass right through the system.
Ben Schwartz, MD, MBA
Editor-in-Chief, The Surgeon’s Record
SVP, Care Services & Strategy
ben@commonsclinic.com
Interesting points. In particular, because you understand medicine and tech better than most investors and journalists. Thank you.