Reverse Innovation: AI-human Collaboration

By Karen Lynn Fortuna

One of the most promising opportunities to improve quality of life in 2026 is the integration of artificial intelligence into health care for older adults and other vulnerable populations. Roughly 10,000 people in the United States turn 65 every day, yet the systems designed to support aging, chronic disease management, and long-term well-being has not been able to keep pace. Workforce shortages, fragmented services, and rising costs are creating gaps that traditional healthcare alone cannot fix.

The innovation that will matter most is not AI replacing human workers—instead, AI–human collaboration, where technology augments human connection rather than replacing it.

We already have a decade of evidence showing what does not work: smartphone apps launched with so much promise, only to see engagement drop off within weeks. The failure wasn’t technological—it was engagement. And one of the best ways to get people to engage is to promote human connection.

The next wave of innovation will look different. AI will be embedded across everyday devices—smartphones, wearables, text messaging, and even telephone-based systems (maybe even landlines)— supporting people in managing chronic conditions, monitoring symptoms, and navigating the complex landscape of healthcare. But these technologies will be paired with a human.

That might mean a case manager, peer supporter, or community health worker who checks in periodically. It might mean AI-assisted human-to-human messages that validate someone’s experience, support medication adherence, or encourage healthy routines. Maybe the AI guides the conversation or remembers previous conversations to support the human in delivering evidence-based care.

AI-human collaboration is a reverse innovation that taps into our DNA: humans are social. Health improves when people feel seen and supported. AI can predict falls and hospitalizations, but engagement is key, as these are likely to come from human relationships. When technology supports—not replaces—human relationships, engagement improves, health improves, and systems become more sustainable.

Given scalability, technology that people abandon within two weeks is not a successful business model. Instead of designing AI tools in isolation, successful models increasingly involve co-creation with patients, caregivers, and community members. When people with lived experience help shape tone, language, memory, and functionality, and we commonly hear that technology cannot replace humans, we listen and we co-create the technology to become more relevant and more engaging.

This approach reflects what we’ve learned across health care: solutions are strongest when they are built with the people they are meant to serve. The caution for 2026 is to avoid repeating the past and to assume algorithms alone are enough to promote engagement — we tried that, and it's not enough.

The future of tech that elevates humanity is about using technology to strengthen what already works—human connection—while extending reach and reducing workforce burden. If we learn from the past, AI–human collaboration has the potential to improve quality of life, support longevity, and build sustainable, engaging systems of care.

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