The Future of Healthcare Fits on Your Wrist

Experts Foresee Explosive Growth in Healthcare with AI-powered Wearables

Dr. Hon Pak, SVP and Head of Digital Health Team, MX Business at Samsung Electronics sat down with Samsung Health Advisory Board members in early spring 2024 at the Samsung Medical Center in Seoul to discuss the future of health and how wearables powered by AI will play a big role in driving the industry forward. Dr. Michael Blum, M.D., CEO and co-founder of medical analysis platform, BeeKeeper AI, former Chief Digital Transformation Officer at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Division of Cardiology; Dr. David Klonoff, M.D., President of the Diabetes Research Institute at Mills Peninsula Medical Center; and Professor Myung Jin Chung, Director of Samsung AI Research Center at Samsung Medical Center (SAIC) shared expert insights and unique perspectives on how Samsung can strategically embrace AI, with a specific focus on its upcoming wearables portfolio.

What do you see as the future of health and what role does technology play in it, especially when combined with Generative AI?

Professor Chung: Through years of clinical experiences, I’ve learned there is immense value in a comprehensive, 360-degree understanding of a patient’s health history. However, it can be challenging to fully grasp their lifestyle or key wellness factors, such as sleep patterns or eating habits, especially when treatment is focused on specific symptoms. Lifelog data gained from wearables can be helpful for healthcare and clinical management to better understand the full context of one’s health history. And AI can assist clinicians by streamlining the management and interpretation of collected information over time, simplifying the process. The future of AI is distilling vital insights from daily life to deliver a deeper understanding of one’s health based on continuous monitoring by a wearable.

Dr. Blum: As a cardiologist, I also want to add that continuous monitoring is emerging as a vital tool in early detection and prediction of a potential disease. For instance, conditions like atrial fibrillation and high blood pressure, which are high risk and impact, yet manageable through low-intensity interventions, can benefit greatly from such monitoring. By wearing a smartwatch, we can better understand the underlying issues that may be contributing to it, and Samsung can be hugely impactful here. These tools, powered by AI, can easily turn data into consumable insights and actionable wisdom, empowering individuals to take proactive steps to reduce possible health risks.

Dr. Klonoff: Glucose monitoring has become more prevalent, not just for diabetes management but for people who don’t have diabetes yet are interested in pursuing a healthier lifestyle. As such, there’s increasing interest in understanding what behaviors affect glucose levels. Since health metrics are interconnected, combining glucose data with sleep, blood pressure, and activity level insights initiates profound conversations about individuals’ lifestyles and experiences. And if users can gain a deeper understanding of these collective insights sooner, then there’s increased opportunity to identify early warning signs of potential health issues such as diabetes. Wearables and AI amplify the value of physiological data and individuals can gain a richer, more nuanced understanding of metabolic health and facilitate opportunities to improve overall wellness and fitness.

What role do you expect Samsung to play in the evolving health landscape?

Dr. Klonoff: We encourage Samsung to not only embrace AI in their health monitoring technology but continue to lean on their pioneering heritage of innovation to emerge as a leader in promoting behavioural change. Through ongoing conversations and collaborative efforts with medical experts, Samsung can help people make the changes in their lives that are needed. Leveraging these insights can encourage people to stay healthy over the long term without feeling overwhelmed and enable them to lead more fulfilling and enjoyable lives.

Dr. Blum: I agree that technology integrated into people’s lives can be an important step to maintain everyday wellness and help to prevent serious health conditions. These devices should seamlessly work in the background in an innocuous way, and Samsung has been a clear leader in this space with its diverse product offerings, ranging from smartphones and TVs to home appliances. However, the question that remains is how can we successfully improve people’s daily lives from a wellness perspective? In the end, it is crucial to connect with users to understand their patterns and encourage positive behavioural modifications; and Samsung has the potential to push the limits of what’s possible, so we can all take better care of ourselves and our families.

Professor Chung: I echo Dr. Blum’s sentiment, in that while Samsung devices are already deeply embedded into our everyday lives, there are opportunities to further embrace its device ecosystem to facilitate behavioural changes for a happier, healthier tomorrow. However, there’s immense power in making behavioural changes with support from family members; it’s more effective than taking on this challenge alone. That’s why it’s necessary to leverage continuous monitoring and insights, as well as create a care circle with family and friends. Samsung can be a huge contributor in creating a care circle by leveraging its expertise and advanced capabilities to maximise social connections with the goal of providing users with greater knowledge about themselves and their loved ones.