People used to tell me that time moves faster as you get older. I didn’t always believe them until I had a family, a career, and endless decisions to make, including about my health and staying on top of it all when no day feels long enough.
Fortunately, many of us are living longer, which should mean more time. But true longevity is about more than just adding years to our lifespan; it is about healthy aging—ensuring those years are filled with health, happiness, and vitality. This shift means navigating routines and health decisions that rarely fit neatly into a doctor’s appointment, placing the power of well-being directly in our own hands.
As someone who has spent decades working at the intersection of technology and daily life, I believe helping people with healthcare continuity and control are two of the most important issues the consumer tech industry can address.
For years, the industry has treated wellness and healthcare as separate worlds. Wellness lives in apps, wearables, fitness goals, and sleep scores. Healthcare lives in doctors’ offices, patient portals, prescriptions, and clinical records. But health is continuous. The data accumulated day by day provides vital context for effective healthcare. Technology must bridge these worlds, translating scattered signals into actionable health insights.
Yet, many people are left navigating their health in the dark. The gap between intention and reality is already visible. According to the Kantar U.S. Q3 2025 Monitor Survey, 87% of consumers say physical health is extremely or very important to their wellbeing, while only 19% say they have complete control over it. This is across factors such as physical activity, sleep quality, nutritional intake, body mass index, and pain levels.
The future of health will be defined by a more connected, proactive, and clinically informed experience that helps people feel in control over time. This is where broad, open ecosystems matter. Health support cannot stop at a single device, app, or AI coach. It has to connect signals from the body. It should include context from the home and insights from caregivers. These should connect directly to the broader healthcare system. The industry challenge is to build across these boundaries, because no single data point can tell the full story of a person’s health.
AI CAN HELP, IF IT UNDERSTANDS YOU
AI is already becoming part of how people seek health support. According to the Kantar Monitor 2025 What’s Next in Health & Wellness Report, consumer use of generative AI rose from 21% in Q1 2024 to 38% in Q3 2025, with medical advice, mental health advice, and emotional support among the top health-related use cases.
But rising use does not automatically mean rising value. I’m just back from our Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event in London where we talked about how the AI that matters most will be the one that understands you.
In health, AI becomes meaningful only when it understands the individual over time. Consumers are increasingly looking for personalized recommendations based on their own data. The real value comes from connecting those signals into guidance that is timely, practical, and connected to their goals.
A health assistant that only sees sleep, activity, medication, or stress in isolation will offer incomplete support. Wearables can provide a useful starting point, but the opportunity is larger. They can connect daily patterns with routines, caregivers, providers, and home context to help bridge wellness and clinical care.
For many families, health is also shared in small moments that may include noticing a parent’s routine changes. It could also include remembering a medication or knowing when a signal deserves attention. As more care moves into the home, connected technology can make those moments less invisible by helping people stay aware and coordinated, as well as supported.
FROM TRACKING TO ACTION
The last decade of consumer health technology was largely defined by tracking—of steps and calories, as well as sleep. But the next decade must be about action.
Health is the accumulation of daily choices, signals, routines, and relationships over time. AI can make that journey easier to understand and manage, but only if we stop treating health as disconnected categories and start building experiences that reflect how people live.
TRUST MUST BE THE FOUNDATION
Health is among the most personal forms of data. If AI is going to support more of daily life, trust has to mean two things. First, people need confidence that the signals and insights they receive are accurate, meaningful, and grounded in credible research.
Second, people need confidence that their information is protected and within their control. They should understand what information is used and why. They should understand how it is secured. And they should know when a recommendation should involve a clinician.
The most successful health technologies will help people use information safely and meaningfully, while also on their terms.
Yoonie Joung is president and CEO of Samsung Electronics North America.
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