Fifteen years ago, physician, scientist, inventor and entrepreneur Daniel Kraft gave a TEDx talk in Maastricht. Today, in the same city, he gave a keynote speech on the future of healthcare as part of the ICT&health World Conference 2026. It is clear that a lot has changed in the meantime: whereas 15 years ago there were “only” 15,000 medical apps, today there are more than 400,000. Despite the acceleration of medical innovation, Kraft believes there is still plenty of work to be done. To catalyse the future of healthcare, the right mindset around change is needed.
‘We live in interesting times,’ says Kraft. ‘Good and bad things are happening, but above all, we have an opportunity to reflect on our mindset. The good news is that there are some incredible new winds blowing that could change the future of health and medicine worldwide. AI, for example.’
Upskilling medical skills
Many AI tools focused on health are not perfect, but according to Kraft, the field is moving quickly. ‘In medical clinics, we see that AI is sometimes already better than human employees. And we see that patients are using Dr. Google less often and switching to Dr. ChatGPT.’
The world of generative AI has been completely transformed in just three years, so imagine what that same AI will look like in another three years. Still, Kraft does not believe that these types of technologies will replace healthcare workers. ‘A medical student will still have to learn how to make a differential diagnosis. But innovative technologies, such as AI, can be used to improve their skills.’ As an optimist, Kraft thinks beyond generative AI to generative health.
A more intelligent future
A more intelligent future requires data-driven, proactive methods. ‘Innovators, entrepreneurs and academics can use new tools to shape the future of medicine. The difficulty lies not in new ideas, but in clinging to old ideas.’ Ultimately, according to Kraft, it's about mindset and community. ‘It's an incredible time to catalyse and invest in health opportunities.’
Innovations offer opportunities to further personalise treatments, for example based on an individual's genomic data. ‘This is not just about reading DNA, but also about writing DNA. As is already happening with CRISPR.’ In addition to genomics, metabolics, the microbiome and nutritional status are also interesting avenues for preventive innovations.
Earlier detection of disease
In the future, innovations will hopefully enable diseases to be detected at an earlier stage. Kraft: ‘Have a full body scan done, and after 30 minutes, the AI radiologist will have produced an analysis containing in-depth insights into your health.’ We are not there yet, but AI could change the future of medical research in this way, according to Kraft. To prevent disease proactively or detect it early.
According to Kraft, the future of health care will shift from being reactive and focused on disease to continuous, proactive care that can be delivered anytime, anywhere. Hopefully also at a lower cost, making health care more accessible and equitable. Finally, a reassuring quote for the healthcare providers present: ‘AI will not replace healthcare providers, but healthcare providers who do use AI will replace those who do not.’ The future is already here, Kraft concludes.
